This piece was commissioned by the Appalachian State University Orchestra for a concert that included the Rite of Spring and Tan Dun’s double bass concerto, Wolf Totem. Both the Stravinsky and Dun compositions deal with ritual or ancient times in one way or another.
Taking inspiration from these pieces and ideas, this piece picks up on that thread of ancient civilization and is an imagined call from a distant past transmitted through space as a sort of Arecibo message. The composition utilizes a short, simple message (melody) that repeats and builds tension throughout the piece. It’s unyielding harmony suggests an unchanging message that grows more persistent with every repetition. All the melodic and harmonic materials are drawn from the overtone series of the double bass drone.
Perusal Score
