Wick

 

 

Completed in March 2000, "Wick" is a one-movement work composed with great pleasure for The New York New Music Ensemble. In the broadest sense, the piece can be said to contain three main sections: an extended introduction leading to a ?big tune,? a quiet, more lyrical section, and finally, a return to faster material, including a brief recapitulation and coda. I didn?t plan it this way, however, nor did I view the piece as a ternary structure as I was going along. Actually, the process of composing became one of collecting, or gathering up, increasing amounts of energy at various points, then finding ways (this I found to be quite challenging) of ?releasing? the music. Sometimes the energy scatters into fanciful cadenza-like solos; sometimes it is absorbed or disguised by overlapping descending waves moving in slow motion ? thrown into second gear, so to speak. At the end of the work the musical energy is released through the performers? voices as the entire ensemble, including conductor, intone the pitch D. "Wick" is dedicated, with great admiration and heartfelt gratitude, to Jayn Rosenfeld and NYNME.