A Lost Winter

Instrumentation: for sinfonietta (1.1.1.1. — 1.1.1.1. — 1 perc. — piano — strings)

Duration: 8’10”

Score:

Recording: (MIDI realization)

Program notes:

A Lost Winter was composed during the 2023–2024 winter season, the warmest winter in U.S. history since record keeping began. Lost winters are characterized not only by warmer temperatures but by the lack of cold, snow, and ice. The distress of winter fundamentally changing is expressed in this piece. At the beginning, the flute represents an imaginary bird, calling for its expected winter conditions. The call eventually becomes an agitated and frustrated theme, broken down into small motives, and expressed throughout the ensemble. A middle section features searching and sustained solos from different members of the ensemble. The piece finally ends with a mournful lament, while the original bird call of the flute has been replaced by a more mechanical and artificial sounding motive in the piano, which gradually fades away into nothingness.