Woven Loom, Silver Spindle (2021)

for orchestra
2(II=alf, picc).2(II=corA).2(II=bcl).2(II=cbsn)
2.0.2.1-timp.perc(2)-harp-pno-solo vln-strings
20 minutes

Score and Recording Available Upon Request

Commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association
Gustavo Dudamel, Music & Aristic Director
for Martin Chalifour

WORLD PREMIERE
The Los Angeles Philharmonic
Xian Zhang, conductor
Martin Chalifour, violin
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, CA
December 3, 2021

Program Note

Woven Loom, Silver Spindle juxtaposes two contrasting images: the shining, agile, brightly spinning realm of the violin and the darker, heavier, all-encompassing framework of the larger orchestra. The orchestral tapestry oscillates between attempts to cradle, smother, and uplift the violin, while the violin weaves its way through shifting sound worlds to assert her own voice. Spinning wheels and looms have long been associated with creativity, motherhood, and the passage of time. I was drawn to the loom’s symbolism as well as its physical and musical motion. Through winding, lyrical lines that float over an undulating, pulsing ground, the piece moves through expansion, collapse, and renewal. It strives to evoke the intricate and methodical nature of creative work, the delicacy and strength required of motherhood, and the eternal, fleeting, cyclical nature of time.