Emerald Night Sky (2022)

*This work received 2023 ASCAP Morton Gould Award

DURATION
9 minutes

INSTRUMENTATION
orchestra

PREMIÈRE
September 16, 2022 Stude Hall, Rice University

Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jerry Hou.

Program Notes:

Inspired by the Northern Lights in Alaska, “Emerald Night Sky” is driven by two contrasting imageries. The first is the bombastic excitement one feels when encountering the intense, strongly luminous aurora for the first time. The second is the calmness and the static feature of the celestial, wondrous green lights in sky. The work is organized in an overall A-B-A form. The beginning A section is characterized by the fast busy 16ths in the strings punctuated with chords played by percussions, winds, and brass. The contrasting B section, marked in a slower tempo, features a static pedal tone on the pitch ‘A’ and ‘G#’ hovering around the ensemble. Lyrical solos in the clarinets and solo cello are featured in a conversational tone. The final A brings back the fast pace of the opening, leading to a high-energy conclusion