Sudden Spring (2015)

Woodwind Quintet – 14 mins.

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Program Note

You would expect that as the years pass, the rhythm of the seasons would
become more and more predictable. So I am all the more amazed to be caught
off guard by the seemingly abrupt shifts in the times of year, offering promise and
threat. The most stunning to me is spring, which in a flash can turn a miserable
winter into a glorious celebration of life, dancing off to summer before we have
had a chance to get to know her.

The opening tune of Sudden Spring is marked “bright and edgy” a
characterization which could be fairly applied to the entire work. The episodes
streaming from this tune ride a course that can be disruptive, soothing, startling,
swirling, stormy — even the sweet Pastorale which almost concludes piece is
graced with intrusions and reminiscences and a dark moment before the clouds
part and a single line shines through.