intimacies, interruptions for Orchestra

intimacies, interruptions is a work for full orchestra that is inspired by the furtive moments that exist only within the cracks and fissures of today's hyper-fast and fragmented life-world. The piece opens with a sweeping, post-romantic, but also fragmented motivic idea reminiscent of Wagner or Mahler. This material is quickly consumed by the hyper-organism of the orchestra, which digests it along with a more contemporary syntax. This process yields various forms of sentimental expressivity, including from the post-romantic material itself. In the age of oversaturation and instant gratification, sitting down and sharing a traditional concert hall ritual can open the door to a surprisingly radical kind of intimacy. Threads of lyricism are strewn throughout this work, but they are often presented alongside a shifting cornucopia of orchestral color. A rich diversity of musical material and techniques of ensemble coordination create the tensions and contradictions that shape one level of this work. As these contrasting musical materials collide with and interrupt each other, the resonances they leave behind trace subtle, ephemeral connections. Like the realism of Caravaggio, which invited audiences to question the line between what was real and what was painting, I invite the audience to use this work as a tool for reflection on the contemporary problem of intimacy. In the concert hall we can experience intimacy, paradoxically, in a room of hundreds of people. Today, at all times, or at no time, can we truly know each other intimately? intimacies, interruptions was premiered by the Louisville Orchestra, conducted by Teddy Abrams, at Whitney Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, in November 2024. The piece has been performed twice in its complete form. The work was also read and recorded in a partial draft form at the Aspen Music Festival by the Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra, conducted by Filip Huget in July and August 2023. The full draft was also read and recorded by the Louisville Orchestra in September 2024.