Last winter, I composed “Turning in Air” for a reading session put on by the Carnegie Mellon Wind Ensemble. Working with a large number of players gives you new opportunities, but also new challenges, particularly on the back end. Once the composing is finished, the process of preparing and proofreading the individual players’ music begins. No matter how many times I do this step, I always underestimate the amount of time it takes to have error-free music. Having a friend you trust is invaluable!
The reading occurred in April with Stephen Story conducting, and the players all seemed to enjoy playing it– and the audio turned out well, too! The music is chromatic, and although the entire piece is in 6/8 (except for one bar), hemiola and agogic accents abound, making it a challenging sight-read. The reading was very successful, I was asked to write a piece to be premiered early next year by the same group. That is underway now!
As you listen to the some excerpts from the session here, check out the program note below. The score is online here: Turning in Air – Full Score
Turning in Air is energetic and mischievous, built around a sprightly motive of rising thirds. Contrasting colors of shimmering and swirling textures twist around indifferent monoliths that create a landscape for the ensemble. The piece opens mysteriously and atmospherically before it finds its impetus, diving through a series of escapades and diversions; phrases turn on a dime, disorienting and challenging the listener to find a “foothold.” The middle section relaxes and features an ostinato that is carefully eroded from its original identity, adapting to better fit the swelling brass chords. When the kinetic music returns, the ensemble ultimately careens out of control, ending in a final explosion of sound.
Turning in Air, for wind ensemble, was written in 2015, and has a duration of approximately 9’.
