Double Reed
I. Echo: an nymph whose spurned love for Narcissus diminished her to a mere voice
II. Tisiphone: one of the Furies, who carried Grief, Dread, Terror and Madness to the homes of mortals
III. Cyparissus: a young boy whose grief for his slain deer transformed him into a cypress tree
IV. Arachne: a girl who defeated the goddess Minerva in a spinning contest and was turned into a spider
Program Notes: "Myths for Solo Oboe" was composed to help expand the repertoire of solo oboe literature, and it honors the most famous of that literature-Benjamin Britten's "Six Metamorphoses after Ovid". Like the characters of Britten's work, the characters of Myths can be found in Ovid's poem Metamorphoses, and their tales or personalities are programmatically composed for each movement. Echo uses dynamics and imitative counterpoint to emulate the dialogue between Echo and Narcissus. The second movement, Tisiphone, utilizes extended performance techniques to demonstrate some horrific capabilities of the oboe. The leaps and sudden dynamic shifts portray the madness and terror associated with the character. In Cyparissus the plaintive beauty of grief is explored through the use of a "crying" motive, which gradually comes to represent a drooping cypress tree. Just as Arachne is a spinning contest between Arachne and the goddess Minerva, it is also a technical challenge for the performer. The spinning wheel theme is interspersed with Minerva's screams of outrage to form an energetic finale. The four movements combine to demonstrate a broad spectrum of the oboe's capabilities and personalities.
Large Ensemble
I. Cyclops (a one-eyed, man-eating giant who is blinded by Odysseus)
II. Circe's Cottage (where men feast jovially before they are transformed into pigs)
III. Halls of Hades (the Land of the Dead)
IV. Sirens (Sea Nymphs whose singing enchants men to their deaths)
V. Scylla & Charybdis (a six-headed monster and a deadly whirlpool by which ships must try to pass)
VI. Calypso's Lament (a beautiful island goddess whose love for Odysseus is unrequited)
VII. Ithaca (Odysseus' home, where he battles the townsmen to regain his castle and wife)
Program Notes: Phrygian Festival Overture was commissioned in honor of the 10-year anniversary of Westfield Community School in Algonquin, Illinois. To connect the composition with the occasion, I selected the pitch motive D-E-C-A to refer to the Greek word for "ten". This motive is interwoven melodically and harmonically into several sections of the work. The main scalar pattern used within the work is that of the Phrygian scale (for example, EFGABCD). The modal scales used give the work a refreshing dissonance and lend the work an ancient Middle-Eastern feel.
Instrumentation of Phrygian Festival Overture: Piccolo, 2 Flutes, Oboe, Bassoon, 3 Bb Clarinets, Bb Bass Clarinet, 2 Alto Saxophones, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, 3 Bb Trumpets, 3 Horns in F, 3 Trombones, Baritone/Euphonium, Tuba, Timpani, Percussion 1 - Glockenspiel & Chimes, Percussion 2 - Crash Cymbal & Suspended Cymbal, Percussion 3 - Tam-tam & Snare Drum
Chamber Music
In Eagle, the open intervals and melodic embellishments lend a Native American feel to the introduction. This carries the listener to the magnificent open plains where the music gradually swells into a soaring theme before returning to rest at the end.
Chickadee is the most literal translation of birdsong in the suite, with "chick-a-dee-dee-dees" and "phoe-bes" used as motivic material. In addition, the movement attempts to capture the perky, inquisitive nature of the little bird.
Owl is a shift into a dark forest, with creepy night noises and the bassoon taking the lead with a spooky octatonic melody.
Swan characterizes the beauty of the majestic bird as it sweeps through the water.
Hummingbird is a rondo that uses the quintet to emulate a tiny bird that zooms in and out of sight as it hovers and zips around with its lightning-quick wings.
Kimberly Helton and The Polaris Wind Quintet commissioned Avian Suite and premiered it in February 2011.
Vocal