Clockwise

Clockwise is a reaction to two events: the death of my mentor Jacob Druckman and the commission of this work celebrating his life and music. These two events exist at opposite ends of an emotional spectrum and are represented in the work through the juxtaposition of very high and low registers, as well as sudden shifts in dynamics and texture.

The work incorporates a motive, which Druckman derived from the Kaddish (the Jewish prayer for the dead) and used in many of his works. The motive consists of a short note followed by a longer note and often resembles the “lub-dub” sound of a heartbeat. Clockwise engages this motive in a variety of forms and owes a great deal to the spirit of Druckman’s Summer Lightning (1991) and Come Round (1992).

Clockwise is lovingly dedicated to the memory of Jacob Druckman.