A River of Voices - Prayer and Transformation - Relentless
Commissioned by the Seattle Symphony with funding from the Barlow Foundation for cellist, Walter Gray, this 3-movement work is a continuous interaction between cello and orchestra. A River of Voices begins with clearly shaped phrases in the cello, which are constantly immersed in the fast moving orchestral passages and interrupted by the cello's own funky rhythms. As the phrases begin to dissolve, the momentum subsides, and the cello is left to drift, unclear of its direction. In Prayer and Transformation the cello find its course in new phrases, which echo earlier orchestral material and become the driving force leading the entire orchestra to its own overpowering transformation. The cello sets a fast pace for Relentless beginning quietly and transparently continuing to lead the orchestra with unflagging energy to finish with one final burst.