Hi, all!
I haven’t been on this site in a long time, but I thought I would share this piece I wrote in 2014, inspired by a trip to the Mount Wilson Observatory in Los Angeles. It is scored for solo violin, 3 violas, 3 cellos, 3 percussionists, celesta, and synthesizer. It’s called Hand in Hand at the Edge of the Sky.
Here is a link to the live recording (outside, unfortunately—enjoy the barking dog!) from the premiere at the Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, CA:
https://soundcloud.com/matthewbrown/hand-in-hand-at-the-edge-of-the-sky
Here is a link to the score:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8pSZkLfaUUpa0Y3S1Fqb2F5QjA/view?usp=drivesdk
Thank you for listening!
—Matthew
Replies
A great piece of work. You have modeled your journey very well - with lovely music - and it is a pity I cannot fully retrace it as I have never been to the place. Some parts feel as if your view impressions mix up with emotions and, perhaps, hopes and fears? Forgive my bad english by the way ...
Kind regards
Jan
Nice to meet you here Matthew.
I can tell from reading the description that this music was or still is very close to you. I hope you have either moved past missing the woman or have found a way to constructively deal with such a tragic loss.
Some places are almost magical and I can tell this is such a place for you. I have a few of those kinds of places I love to go to as well so I think I can relate fairly well to that feel one gets when they are almost overwhelmed by a surrounding.
The music itself is quite varied, well thought out and extensive. I especially liked your use of percussion to stir a mood. Has an almost otherworldly feel. You have done a good job here of capturing a sense of place and feeling using interesting techniques!
Thank you for sharing this one!