for large orchestra

Scoring

2-3(EH)-3(Bass)-3(3rd CB); 4-3-3-1; timp+4; pno; hp; strings

Duration 5 Minutes

Commissioned by The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra

Performances

WORLD PREMIERE
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
Lucas Richman, Music Director
Program Notes

ONCE AGAIN was written in the winter of 1999-2000. This five minute work is a tightly constructed set of variations based on material that is brash and angular, with alternating sections of moderate repose characterized by a somewhat dance-like character. The work begins and ends with materials of a somewhat more ruminative nature, while during the course of the piece two climaxes appear somewhat suddenly, taking previously heard ideas into uncharted territory. Most of the brash material originates in the winds and brass, and the more dance-like ideas are given to the strings. The conclusion unites the different emotional facets of the work, before it quickly fades into oblivion.

The title of the piece refers to the rapid recycling of musical ideas, that pass by ‘once again’, almost without their being noticed. Before one can capture them, they are gone.

The work is dedicated to the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and its music director Kirk Trevor, who commissioned the work for this 1999-2000 season.