A Solar Symphony
the wonder of our solar system, the power of the sun, the beauty of the natural world.
A Solar Symphony is a celebration of light, energy, our planet, and the sun. The work is structured in four sections, guiding the listener on a journey from stillness to an epic, awe-inspiring finale.The first movement, titled Space. Time. A Near Perfect Vacuum, invites the audience to slowly enter the sound world. It evokes the stillness and silence of space, with a great sense of cosmic vertigo—the indescribable feeling of realizing our smallness when contemplating the vastness of space and time. The piece moves briskly into the second section, Celestial Bodies, inspired by the imagery of stars, comets, and galaxies. The music possesses a shimmering, glittering quality, with short motifs interwoven between wind instruments, creating a sense of perpetual motion. The third movement, A Celebration of Earth, is the most varied in mood. It begins with an expressive, organic-sounding cor anglais solo, paying homage to Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 (the work paired with A Solar Symphony at its premiere). The movement starts in a pastoral sound world, conjuring images of Stonehenge and the vast green landscape. It swells to a climactic orchestral tutti, celebrating the wonder of the Earth, only to abruptly diminish to tripleted strings, conveying a sense of urgency—perhaps a reminder of the planet’s fragile nature and our need to protect it. After dissonant, unsettling chords, these fade into the final fourth movement, The Solstice: The Longest, Brightest Light.
This movement begins with a stillness, harkening back to the opening of the symphony, but this time featuring a wind quartet. It begins with a small, almost hazy sound that gradually reveals the brightest, purest light, as suspended chords and clusters unfold into a major tonality. The work has a “second ending,” where the first solstice sunset is depicted by a large orchestral tutti, which sounds final, but is followed by a coda section that revisits themes from throughout the work. After a moment of stillness, the symphony ends for a second time, this time with even more explosive orchestral colors, inspired by the kaleidoscopic sunsets I have witnessed living in New York City.
Score coming soon!