Sunset Lines
Lawrence Axelrod
About this work:
This short work for a somewhat exotic trio of instruments sprang from the idea of leave-taking. Written in the autumn, the season that best evokes this complex of emotions, the image of sunset first arose - the daily occurrence of natural leave-taking, the time in between light and dark. So this work is about the small partings, the small acts of farewell, that define our lives in intimate and subtle ways.
Musically, I describe this intimacy with rather subdued dynamics, the extensive use of varied unison writing among the instruments, the treatment of harmony as a special event that encourages forward motion, and a five-measure ritornello that returns six times.
Year composed: 2010
Duration: 06:00:40
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice
Instrumentation: 1 Oboe, 1 Percussion (General), 1 Violin, 1 Cello
Instrumentation notes: The woodwind part can also be played on English Horn or Saxophone.