Program Note:

In Charles Ives' String Quartet No. 2, four men, represented by the violins, viola, and cello, engage in rather humorous, sometimes bizarre, at other times profound discussion and argument. The work culminates with a mystical journey up a mountain. The work is a snapshot of the New England spirit, at least from a particular group of people, in the early twentieth century.

My composition, inspired by Ives, is a musical essay on the state of modern American discourse. Each saxophone takes on various character roles. There is dismissal, combativeness, accusation, taking of sides, all around noise and messiness. Dark and surreal underlying forces are sometimes felt. But there are also the increasingly rare, though nonetheless present, expressions of nuance, empathy, and peacefulness.

Performances:

• Ensemble du Bout du Monde, Sprengel Museum, Hannover, Germany, April 28, 2023.

• Ensemble du Bout du Monde, Unerhörte Musik - BKA Theater, Berlin, Germany, September 28, 2022.