Cold Over Gravity

for woodwind doublers quartet

One summer day, while hiking in the Shawangunk Mountains of New York, I suddenly felt a blast of frigid air, escaping up out of a cave some distance below the trail. I wondered about the depth of the fissure, and what kind of force could propel this air up against gravity. It did not look safe to investigate, but I found my thoughts returning to this place over the next several weeks, envisioning the cold subterranean world just out of sight. My music, consequently, was imbued with those imaginings: this piece features a strong tension between upward-reaching motives and heavy, downward-directed harmonies. The energy and mystery of those mountains are fused in my memory with the composition of this work.

Each member of the quartet plays two instruments:

  1. bass clarinet/alto saxophone
  2. bass clarinet/tenor saxophone
  3. B♭ clarinet/bassoon
  4. B♭ clarinet/bassoon

View a score sample.

Please contact Rebekah if you are interested in purchasing this piece.