INSTRUMENTATION
flute, clarinet, violin, and cello
DURATION
8′ 00″
Commissioned by the Colorado State Music Teachers Association.
Premiered June 5, 2103, by The Playground Ensemble.
PROGRAM NOTES
Winter winds and snow can envelop the outdoors in a loneliness that cuts through sound with silence. A gentle snowfall muffles the rustle of pines. Animals cease activity in deference to storming blizzards. Winter Quartet is an evocation of these pristine landscapes through musical gesture. Four brief movements explore shimmering timbres and spectral interplay between flute, clarinet, violin, and cello.
Winter Quartet was commissioned by the Colorado State Music Teachers Association for its June 2013 Conference. It’s been an honor to write this quartet that represents familiar vistas. Quiet, agitated whispers and impressive surges of white, stormy noise hearken to fond memories of wandering the woods and meadows in winter.