Walking on Wires – strings, wind
for strings & a low wind
Inst:
bsn & strings or bass cl & strings
Date:
1997
Duration:
6'
Performances:
Premiered 1999: Sirius String Quartet plus bassoon, Concert of works, NYC
Program note
An anxious lament for love lost, borrowing musical inspiration from the plainsong, “Dies Irae.” The emotional context is sadness and futility, which transmutes into edgy feelings of anger. The metaphoric realization that came to mind was that moving on would involve something like walking barefoot across a floor covered with sharp wires. – RW
