Vistas
Mark O'Connor
About this work:
I have a wonderful home outside of Vista, CA. I live in a valley of
avocado groves and strawberry fields. There is citrus everywhere as well.
The views from my writing studio and balconies are quite sweeping. I noticed one
day that there are three very distinct views or vistas I can enjoy. One to
the east where the desert begins to reveal itself; one to the north where I
enjoy the distant mountains; and then a view off to the west where
beautiful Pacific Ocean sparkles in the distance.
As I surveyed my surroundings, I thought about my string trio and
imagined that each of these magnificent views could represent a distinct
musical personality in the group... or a distinct instrument and voice. Or
the three views might depict social backgrounds or entirely different ways
of life. Differences. (desert, mountain, ocean). I thought of this as being a
perfectly good basis for a musical idea. And then as I continued looking, my eyes
relaxed and let in more light. I began to use my peripheral vision, and my three
snapshots of the horizon dissolved in to a giant panoramic view. It became apparent
and actually very clear that my vistas were not necessarily three distinct views
anymore. They rather became, one big picture!
I applied this same kind of philosophy to music, musicians and art. This
kind of thing happens all the time, but many do not see it and therefore do not appreciate the "peripheral." Many of us come from different backgrounds. We have different training. We have unique gifts and personalities. But what if in the end, after you add everything up, we are all really saying the same thing? There are many contrasted musicians out there in the world but I believe that we have many of the basic ideals of sharing art in common. We just might be on different pages at
different times on our musical journeys. So with this thought in mind, I
constructed Vistas.
All three musicians share a central theme and it is performed in a musical
cannon throughout. The musicians never play the theme together in harmony though, but they are always playing it at their own pace so to speak. There are sections where it sounds like playful counterpoint.
Other sections sound aggressively contrapuntal. And there is even the climax
of the piece where one musician plays the theme slow, the next player twice as fast and
the next player twice as fast again all at the same time! The musicians end up having never played the theme simultaneously but after it is all said and done, each musician essentialhas said same thing!
When I think about music and art, I feel there are three important bridges
all artists seek to cross: In the end, we seek to elevate the spirit, stimulate the intellect
and strengthen the heart.
Year composed: 1999
Duration: 00:10:26
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice
Instrumentation: