Sanctuary

A 2011 commission from the composer's own mother, to honor the memory of her father, led Garrop to a project of rediscovery. Through discussion with family and exploration of memorabilia, she came to know her father as a wholly-formed man, greatly missed. Sanctuary became a musical description of Garrop's search for her father. She describes the work, "In the first movement (Without), a child calls out in a sing-song voice, searching for her lost parent. This search intensifies over the course of the movement through a series of themes, including a 'stepping' motif in which a two-note progression steadily climbs higher, a pseudo-jewish folksong, and a passionate 'longing' theme. The child's search becomes increasingly intense throughout the movement, calling out fervently and repeatedly to the parent; the movement ends in a moment of great tension and uncertainty. The second movement (Within) quietly opens with the lost parent finally answering, represented by a solo cello; the child (now personified by the violin) has found the parent within the sanctuary of her own heart. This movement highlights the joy and solemnity of this beautiful discovery."

A 2011 commission from the composer's own mother, to honor the memory of her father, led Garrop to a project of rediscovery. Through discussion with family and exploration of memorabilia, she came to know her father as a wholly-formed man, greatly missed. Sanctuary became a musical description of Garrop's search for her father. She describes the work, "In the first movement (Without), a child calls out in a sing-song voice, searching for her lost parent. This search intensifies over the course of the movement through a series of themes, including a 'stepping' motif in which a two-note progression steadily climbs higher, a pseudo-jewish folksong, and a passionate 'longing' theme. The child's search becomes increasingly intense throughout the movement, calling out fervently and repeatedly to the parent; the movement ends in a moment of great tension and uncertainty. The second movement (Within) quietly opens with the lost parent finally answering, represented by a solo cello; the child (now personified by the violin) has found the parent within the sanctuary of her own heart. This movement highlights the joy and solemnity of this beautiful discovery."