Opus 1309

Outside Voices (2018)

for Solo Violin, Cello, and String Orchestra

  • An Astral Visit with Laurence Crane
  • Cambridge Rocket

Duration: 9 min.

Dedication: for Phoebe Carrai, Sarah Darling, and the Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra

Commission: Commissioned by the Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra

Contact the composer regarding perusal or performance materials.

Outside Voices (2018) was written for Phoebe Carrai, Sarah Darling, and the Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra. The piece’s title is intended poetically but also literally in terms of the musical material: especially the harmonic instability that can be created by changes to the outer voices of chords. The two contrasting movements deal with similar material and similar transformation devices, but they are used to different expressive ends. The basic ideas are simple and presented as straightforwardly as possible, developed through juxtaposition and gradual changes.

The somewhat spare textures of “An Astral Visit with Laurence Crane” are contrasted with the moto perpetuo energy of “Cambridge Rocket” (whose title alludes to “Mannheim Rocket” rising arpeggio figure of early classical-era music).