as the air softens in dusklight

"as the air softens in dusklight" explores the developmental and oppositional roles of two groups of instruments. Comprising one group, the winds, vibraphone and harp continually vie for prominence with the strings, which form the other group. As the work evolves, material associated with the winds, vibraphone and harp, often emerges from, but is eventually absorbed by the strings. In the central section, the wind sonority is transformed into a series of fanfare-like motives in the brass. This material, too, is subsumed into the string fabric. Towards the end, the vibraphone and harp are paired, fragmenting earlier material associated with the winds. The work takes as its point of departure, the second movement of my string trio, "from the middle . . . becoming air", and further develops ideas explored in my recent orchestral work, "distinct echoes of glimmering daylight".