In the Midst of Darkness, Light Persists
(2005) 20 min.
viola solo, cello solo, orchestra
Premiere
Premiered January 14, 2006
La Mirada Symphony, David Stenske, conductor
La Mirada Civic Auditorium, La Mirada, CA
Performers
Cynthia Fogg, viola
Tom Flaherty, cello
Audio Performers
Flute: Yoon-Chan Kim, Angela Cools, Alan Kraut
Oboe: Alma Zook, Rose Quinn
Clarinet: Lucie McGee, Steven Huntziger, Corinna Cook
Bassoon: Elicia Whittlesey, Hollie Lohff
Horn: Don Lawrence, Amanda Barkley-Levinson, Joshua Durgin, Rachel Pelham, James Keays
Trumpet: Angad Mehdi, Samuel Eisenberg, Juan Flores, Anna Mebust
Trombone: Raymond Fenton, Misha Lubko, Hunter Peterson
Tuba: Stephen Klein
Timpani/Percussion: Clio Beauvoir, Trevor Adams, Brad Kamitaki, John Gann
Violin I: Debra Hurwitz, concertmaster, Matt Macellaio, Rose Haag, Joey Greenwald, Garwen Chen, Clifford Wu, Casey Davis-Van Atta, Sardius Chen
Violin II: Caroline Fernandez, principal, Joyce Sato-Reinhold, Audrey Bergmann, Joseph Frewer, Andrea Sand, Nathan Reed, Zach Risher, Jonathan Wright
Viola: Claire Nystrom, principal, Abigail Browning, Eric Tang, Sara Gussin, Julie Siloti, Meredith Rawls, Mary de Boer, Matt Jensen
Cello: Tara Ursell, principal, Andrew Wald, Elise Novak, Michelle Collar, Devin Smith, Meredith Walton
Bass: Ted Stebbins, principal, Karen Black, Nick Recuber
Audio
October 6, 2006 performance. Cynthia Fogg, viola; Tom Flaherty, cello. Pomona College Symphony, Eric Lindholm, conductor
Instrumentation
Solo viola
Solo cello
Piccolo
2 Flutes
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets in Bb
2 Bassoons
4 Horns in F
3 Trumpets in Bb
3 Trombones
Tuba
Strings
Percussion:
Timpani
Triangle
Bass Drum
Large Cymbal, soft mallet
Xylophone
Glockenspiel
Chimes
Notes
For the past few years, my wife Cindy and I have frequently performed as Celliola, a viola-cello duo, commissioning and performing new works here and across the country. When David Stenske asked us to perform as soloists with the La Mirada Symphony orchestra my first thought was to write something for the occasion, featuring the unusual combination of viola, cello and orchestra. The resulting piece is not a concerto in the usual sense of the word, highlighting virtuosic soloists pitted against or accompanied by an orchestra. Instead the piece is more like conducted chamber music, with the solo parts woven into the texture of the orchestra, playing a trio with a flute here, a quartet with the bassoons there, etc. In fact the soloists should sit with the orchestra rather than in front of it, to help negotiate some rather tricky rhythmic interactions and to better blend with their colleagues.
Listening to early fragments of the composition, Cindy was reminded of a phrase by Gandhi which had sustained her through the terrible days following September 11, 2001: “In the midst of death life persists, in the midst of untruth truth persists, in the midst of darkness light persists.” The piece is not programmatic in any detail, but Gandhi's image and Cindy's associations did ring in my head as I continued to compose.
The piece does play light against dark in several ways. The dark viola and cello often play in their lowest ranges, uncharacteristically so for solo parts with orchestra. At other times they soar at the top of their ranges. The harmony and orchestral textures range from dark and densely dissonant to clear and brightly consonant.
Two basic elements can be followed through the music: introductory hammer blows played by the full orchestra and descending scales (in multiple speeds) played by the solo instruments. These two elements and others persist, but transform over time, in varying shades of dark and light.
“In the Midst of Darkness, Light Persists” is dedicated to David Stenske and the La Mirada Symphony.
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