The Next One is Always a Beacon (1)

The Next One is Always a Beacon (1) is a unique piece for me for a few reasons. I wrote it without any particular ensemble or specific performers in mind. I chose the scoring based on Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 and in place of the harpsichord I put the piano. The role the pianist plays varies throughout the piece. Sometimes they function as a soloist among a string orchestra while other times they are part of smaller chamber music grouping. When I was scoring this piece I wanted the piano to play a symbolic role as well as an important musical one. The piano is obviously the odd one out in this ensemble of nine strings, but they don’t always play the outcast.  For fleeting moments the piano also plays the role of a leader, or partners with another instrument. At other times they hide in the background, scarcely audible.

For me, composing is often striking a balance between writing what I want to hear, and writing what I think others want to hear or play. While composing I almost always have the audience in mind and am thinking about how they will respond to my music. This consideration is offset by many other factors, but in this piece I wrote primarily without the audience in mind. This might seem like a minor change with no discernible difference in the end, however I believe this piece to be distinctly autobiographical.

The title tells of a perpetual optimism, while also expressing the frustration of endless setbacks.

︎Full Score.pdf

3 violins
3 violas
3 cellos
Piano

10:00

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