LIST OF WORKS AND NOTES (for some)
2006  2005  2004  2003  2002  2001  2000  1999  1998 1997  1996  1995  1994  1993 1992

2006

Ecstatic Song for piano (3 min.)
A short piece composed in honor of my dear friend, Alex Last’s 40th birthday.

Fauve for string quartet (18 min)

      In my most recent work, composed during and after my fellowship year at the American Academy in Rome (2004-05), I have become increasingly involved with collaboration, incorporating visual elements into my creations and drawing inspiration from visual art. Fauve for string quartet, is a reaction to the brilliant drawings of Amy Myers displayed in her solo show “The Particle Zoo” at Mike Weiss Gallery in New York. The work is in two parts. The first part (Sensual Realm) is a tactile, kinetically charged echo of the bold colorful world of Ms. Myers’ work. Part two (Ecstatic Realm) is more introverted and represents the transformation of the spirit upon contemplating her work. Her unique work is electrical and filled with ecstatic rhythms. It never fails to fire my own imagination. I delight in the process and am honored to have the opportunity to indulge my own creative impulses in response to her magical work.

2005

Over a moving landscape for solo bass clarinet and chamber ensemble (13 min.)
      Lately, I have become more influenced by the spirits of visual artists (past and present). Over a moving landscape was composed in Rome, Italy and completed in Ménerbes, France (Provence). It comes from a time and place in my life filled with extraordinary visions and emotions.
      I met my fiancée in Rome. Amy Myers is a brilliant artist, and has been a guide and teacher as our shared life evolves and opens new artistic doors for my own. Our great fortune brought us to the Dora Maar house in Ménerbes. The house is filled with great spirits (Pablo Picasso and Dora Maar), and is situated in a village of unspeakable beauty overlooking fields of rich vibrant colors. It is an area of the world where great works of Cézanne and Van Gogh come to life. It was here that Over a moving landscape was completed. The work is a tribute to the spirits, visions, transformations and emotions of that time, and it hopefully conveys an unseen force, something more kinetic that imbues music with a unique power.
      The work was commissioned by the Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard University for Michael Lowenstern and Sequitur, and is dedicated to Nancy Brown Negley. She is a warm, generous and sensitive soul. Her spirit fills the world with an extraordinary magic for which I am eternally grateful.

Songs from Bass Garden for soprano, flute, cello, piano & percussion (22 min.)  
      Songs from Bass Garden was composed in my studio, in the Bass Garden at the American Academy in Rome. It is located atop the Janiculum, the highest hill of Rome. The work is an exploration of the mystical and almost bewitching changes that I and my fellow Rome Prize recipients have experienced in the last year.
      It is perhaps no coincidence that the Janiculum hill is named after the God Janus, often depicted as a two faced God responsible for bringing changes and new directions in one’s life. Janus is the Roman god of gates and doors (ianua), beginnings and endings, and hence represented with a double-faced head, each looking in opposite directions. Janus also represents the transition between primitive life and civilization, between the countryside and the city, peace and war, and the growing-up of young people.
      Songs from Bass Garden is a mythical, enchanting and sometimes painful spiritual and creative journey through a world populated by artists, musicians, poets, composers, witches and gods.

2004

Untitled Universe for english horn, violin, viola & cello (10 min.)
      Untitled Universe was one of the first works I completed at the American Academy in Rome in 2004-5. It is from a period of time filled with personal tragedy and elation.

Night Fantasy for piano (9 min.)
      Night Fantasy was composed for my friend Jessica Bruser in honor of her debut concert at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. It is one of a series of works I have been composing for her dealing with night imagery.
Night Fantasy is freely inventive and derives its momentum from the opening arpeggios in a manner reminiscent of improvisation.

2003

Echo of Halos for saxophone quartet and orchestra (25 min.)
      The act of composing music is an escape for me. I make sketches and then something magical happens – I get possessed by the music and fall into a trance. The pains and cares of the world disappear as the spell of the music takes over. The act of composing Echo of Halos was an escape from the pain that this loss created, and became a tribute to great spirits.
      The first movement Spirits introduces the main motivic theme of the entire work. It is a descending scale-like cell that undergoes a variety of transformations. The movement is haunted by this reoccurring theme and seeks a kind of peace with it, even an exorcism. The journey brings us to unexpected places and moods, among them drunken giddiness and frustration.
      The obsession continues in the second movement Still. The contrapuntal fabric of this movement begins in a world that is harmonically and temporally closely related to Spirits. The climate here is “still” haunted by the “spirits” of the first movement. The main theme (from the first movement) is heard throughout as contrapuntal strands are woven from it. Still is scored for solo saxophone quartet and strings alone.
      It is very difficult to deal with the loss of loved ones. The composition of the third movement is one way I dealt with recent losses. In Memoriam: Echo of Halos is a tribute and imagined dialogue with recently departed spirits. The movement begins with a harmonic and temporal world reminiscent of the other two. The main theme is clearly heard again. This movement is more of a kaleidoscopic dance of colors as instrumental groups elide with variations of the main theme. One of the variations is derived from the Kaddish – Jewish prayer for the dead and is a tribute to Jacob Druckman and Muriel Topaz Druckman. The movement is self-referential; referring to a piece I dedicated to Nicholas Last entitled Vision. It is intended as a tribute to him and his family. 
      The word “concerto” with all of its Classical and Romantic connotations doesn’t apply to Echo of Halos. The work isn’t outwardly engaged with my usual frenetic pulsation. The nervous energy here is less quantitative and more qualitative. It serves more as an inner bubbling turmoil seeking peace through a lyrical dramatic arch. I was more possessed with the lyrical beauty of the Raschèr Saxophone Quartet, particularly the marvelous sound of their Bach chorale arrangements. There is something magnetic, inspirational and soothing when I hear them play chorales. My spirit turned to that sound during these troubled times. The soloists are not cast as heroes; they are mere mortals posing questions, seeking answers. They call to the spirits through the might of the orchestra, the amplifier of their urgent questions. The orchestra is their tool – a mode of communication between the physical and the spiritual, and in many ways a fifth soloist. In my life the question remains and in the work it is obsessively present. As in life, the question is unanswered and finds acceptance through time.

Joy Ride for symphonic winds and percussion (6 min)
      Joy Ride is modeled after the unexpected eddies and currents that occur in life. The work is constructed from a single three-note motive. The development of the theme takes us on a journey through many unexpected twists and turns. Two of the commissioning ensembles were United States Air Force bands and influenced the progression of the work. Air travel is one of humanity’s great technological achievements, and Joy Ride seeks a transcendent moment, something joyful that soars above the tribulations of life.

2002

Nocturne for piano (8 min.)
      Nocturne was composed for my friend Jessica Bruser. She asked for a “nocturne,” so I based my work upon images of sleep and dreams. The piece engages three themes that are derived from the opening unison (the first theme). It is playful, frenetic and chase-like in nature. The second theme, heard soon after, is a kind of lopsided dance. The third theme is sweet and innocent in temperament. The images in Nocturne interact with each other in a manner reminiscent of a dream.

Dance Craze for orchestra (4 min.)
      Dance Craze was commissioned as an encore for a concert of “dance music.” I wanted to compose a piece that engaged the other music on the program, but rather than just refer to the other pieces, I decided to write my own dance piece.
      I somehow formed an image of an awkward person trying to dance seductively, and I couldn’t get it out of my mind. The dancer then turns those awkward steps into something new and successful. The entire work springs from the opening phrase in the violins, which is an angular descending scale. This phrase is vaguely reminiscent of a moment from Ravel’s La Valse (also on the program). Dance Craze builds frenetically, becoming increasingly possessed with visceral, tactile energy in a dance of notes, rhythms and colors.

Vision for chamber orchestra (11 min)
      Vision was commissioned by the Albany Symphony Orchestra for the Tiffany Windows project an event of the Key’s American Music Festival. Each commissioned piece was to be inspired by a Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass window. My work is an impression of his St. John’s Vision of the Holy City (1899), located at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Troy, New York, it is believed to be his first landscape interpretation. It is a beautiful work with over “6,000 pieces of glass draped, warped, spun, crackled and faceted into Jewels.” 
      I was struck by his technique. The individual jewels of glass are like repeating musical motives that I can warp and spin into themes. At the heart of Vision is a single melodic motive made up of a minor second followed by a minor third.
      Music is a time dependent art form, and a composer can distort the listeners’ perception of time in the same way that Tiffany faceted the jewels for his window. In Vision the sense of time is manipulated through repetition and anticipation. I repeat patterns of music and the listener begins to anticipate events. The spacing of these events distorts the sense of time. Tiffany’s window is also time dependent. The time of day and the angle of the sun make it a living art form with its constantly evolving luminosity and coloring. This was a source of great inspiration for me. In Vision the color evolves through subtle instrumental, harmonic and register changes.

Altars for piano trio (17 min)
      Music is a time dependent art form, meaning that each work engages time as a medium for conveying its form, structure, emotion etc. There is however another element of time that maybe less apparent, and that is the continuum of time a piece exists in. A new piece doesn’t just appear magically, it is shaped by the composer’s tastes and other influences. The continuum of time here is the history behind the work, which includes all the pieces by all the composers that the new composer is influenced by.
     I started composing because I love music. There is nothing else on the planet that takes hold of my consciousness and fascination. I walk around all day hearing music, and I hear it in my sleep. I also have deep respect for composers and works that move my heart and mind. Lately, it has become an obsession of mine to openly honor works that I love. This is the continuum I am talking about, works that are influenced by the past. Altars openly revels in the past and is in two parts. Part I is after the second movement of Beethoven’s Piano Trio in D “the Ghost” (Op. 70, No. 1). Part II is after both Schubert’s Trio in Eb (Op. 100, D929), movement two, and Ravel’s Piano Trio, movement one.
     Part I is rhapsodic, like the Beethoven. It is serious and dramatic in mood and is obsessed with small motivic elements from the Ghost trio. There are moments where I openly quote from the trio. The quotes then launch episodes that culminate in a nervous crisis. The quotes themselves stand in sharp contrast to the other material and provide a kind of relief from the dramatic tension.
     Part II is quite different and stands as a foil to part I. It is lighter, crisp and more playful in nature. In fact the beginning is marked scherzo and engages the Schubert trio, which eventually transforms into music influenced by Ravel’s trio. The beginning is bathed in elements (motives and chords) from Schubert, but unlike part I, it never directly quotes the trio. The Ravel trio is more directly quoted after a transition from the Schubert material. The two worlds are then combined until a sudden, dramatic moment brings us back to the seriousness of part I. The music that follows is now touched by that moment and seeks a new emotional plateau.
      The piano trios referred to in Altars are works that I love. I think they are beautiful pieces, and as an artist and human being I try to get close to beauty. Altars digests the music of these great composers in an attempt to honor them and to somehow get closer to their beauty.

2001

Spring Fever for clarinet, violin, cello and piano (11 min)
      Spring Fever is a rhapsody on spring themes. It is not a portrait of flowers and gardens, but rather an impression of awakenings that occur. Love, growth and the fervor of activity coupled with peace and tranquility all served as inspiration for the work. Musically, Spring Fever is influenced by Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, and paraphrases a moment from each.

Nervosa for flute (8 min)
      Nervosa was composed for flutist Patti Monson. Patti is an amazingly talented musician and I was very excited when she asked for a piece. Her only request was that it be a multi-voiced work for solo instrument, and I knew that also meant engaging her infinite variety of flute techniques.
      Patti inspires me! She can play anything! During the summer of 2001 for example, I was composing Nervosa at Yaddo (an artist retreat in Saratoga Springs) and was fortunate enough to have Patti visit me to play through some sketches. I went to the piano and played a short melodic fragment with a four-note chord accompaniment. I was joking when I asked if she could play this and to my surprise she did it on the spot, with the four-note chord! 
      The work is something like a set of variations on an ascending scale-like motive (which begins the piece). Many ideas spring from the initial motive, and some develop into themes that seem to be quite distant from the opening material. I employ many of Patti’s colorful techniques, among them: pizzicato, tongue stop, multiphonics, sung notes, quarter tones, and whistle tones.

Nervosa is dedicated to Patti Monson.

Gallop for piano (4 min)

Philter for clarinet, violin and piano (9 min)
      I have been incorporating magic spells and incantations into recent works. Philter is the latest piece inspired by spell casting, and it is the answer to another trio I composed involving magical imagery. In that piece, Spelling Venus (for clarinet, cello and piano) the sorcerer’s powers are failing as he attempts to repeatedly cast a love spell. Philter, on the other hand, is defined by The American Heritage Dictionary as a love potion, or charm. A sorcerer might use personal objects in the creation of a spell, like a picture or a lock of hair. In Philter I use snapshots of older works that I love, some of these older pieces are especially potent for the individual players involved in the piece. One can hear moments of the Brahms Clarinet Quintet, the Beethoven E major Piano Sonata, op. 109 and also the Kreutzer Sonata for violin and piano. Each voice adds a magical ingredient important to the repertoire, and maybe in the case of the violin, an instrument actually involved in the premiere or early life of the work. The affect is one of humor. I even found myself laughing out loud while composing Philter, and to me there is no greater love potion than laughter. At the heart of Philter is the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique, perhaps the most famous openly programmatic work inspired by love, obsession and despair.

Time Capsule for chamber orchestra (15 min)

2000

Spelling Venus for clarinet in A, cello and piano (9 min)

Frenzy (2nd and 3rd movements) for alto, tenor and baritone saxophones (ca. 14 min)
Frenzy: 1. A seizure of violent agitation or wild excitement, often accompanied by manic activity. 2. Temporary madness or delirium. 3. A mania; craze. The American Heritage Dictionary

     “Frenzy” comes from a time of great upheaval in my life – a time of transition between being a graduate student and a professional, and of moving from place to place every three months. I was feeling a bit unsettled. I was also burglarized, and weeks later the police were chasing the burglar up the fire escape that runs along a window in my shower (while I was showering).
      Frenzy captures something of that New York energy. In fact, I was on the subway one morning and a man wearing an aluminum foil antenna and carrying what appeared to be an alto saxophone flattened by a steam roller, made an announcement – he would be playing Martian Music until someone gave him money. Everyone covered their ears when the serenade began. Martian Music was not pretty. It was loud and screechy in the highest register of the instrument. I loved it and a variation of it found its way into the first movement of Frenzy.
      The entire work is primarily based on a semitone. The heart of the first movement is a series of ascending semitones displaced by an octave, and a motivic rhythm related to boogie-woogie. The motive undergoes a frenzy of transformations, often-yielding longer melodic lines and manic gestural outbursts. This movement is like a contained explosion. The music tries to dissipate this energy to no avail. There are climactic moments that breakdown into a flurry of altissimo gestures (certainly influenced by Martian Music).
      The second movement serves as a transition into the third movement. Here the semitone is divided into quartertones. The music is slower and more introspective, as melodic lines emerge and passed among the voices. The manic energy returns as the movement ends and the third begins.
      The third movement is a return to the semitone and faster tempo. It combines ideas from the two preceding movements. The pizzicato effect is engaged often primarily in the baritone saxophone.

Shakedown for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion and piano (8 min)

In Time’s Wake for cello and piano (10 min)
      In Time’s Wake was completed in February 2000. Conceived as an overture to the new millennium, it is a musical expression of the hopes and fears of an uncertain future.

In Time’s Wake was commissioned by and is dedicated to cellist Elizabeth Simkin.

1999

The Fury of Bloom for piano trio (ca. 13 min)
Clockwise for wind ensemble (ca. 11 min)
Frenzy (1st movement) for alto, tenor and baritone saxophones (ca. 6 min)

1998

Ripples for oboe, violin, viola and cello (ca.10 min.)

Knots for brass and percussion (ca. 6 min.)

1997

Epilogue for clarinet and chamber orchestra (ca. 18 min.)

Clockwise for orchestra (ca. 11min.)
      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.

Devil’s Tail for wind ensemble (ca. 6 min.)

1996

Three for oboe, viola and piano (ca. 12 min.)
Et in terra pax for women’s choir (ca. 6 min.)

1995

Two for two pianos and chamber orchestra (ca. 16 min.)
One for piano (ca. 8 min.)
Veils for flute, viola and harp (ca. 11 min.)

1994

Groovetudes for piano (ca. 8 min.)
Fantasy for clarinet (ca. 10 min.)

1993

Concerto for Bass Trombone and Chamber Orchestra (ca. 13 min.)
Assembly: fanfare for brass quintet (ca. 3 min.)
Ave verum corpus for mixed choir (ca. 4 min.)

1992

Microgroove for piano and chamber orchestra (ca. 16 min.)