Mountain Messengers (2020)

The title refers to a small-town newspaper in northern California that was rescued at the last moment so that the community might continue to have a way of public communication. The music was made for Nicolas Hodges and Ilan Volkov, both with the best interpreters of my music. The piece is in two large parts, each with its collection of my usual, more or less discontinuous, patches of material. The material is invented, but sometimes uses also bits of other music (e.g. Bach, folk songs), not necessarily recognizable. There are also 'open' sections, with free choices for the performers and conductor. At the end all players play sounds of their own choice but specified as long and very quiet.

This is a second 'concerto' (the first was Old Shoe, New Shoe, for 2 percussionists with orchestra). It is a tricky form for me. I don't like the idea of a star performer supported by a larger anonymous group. So I try to make a balance, with the idea of mutually dependent individual and collective. There are also a number of solos for individual members of the orchestra, and times when the piano soloist could be thought of as accompanying the orchestra.