Over the Next Hill
Violin | 2020 | 5'
Composed for Unheard-of Ensemble’s Collaborative Composition Initiative
Performances:
Premiered in full by Carina Yee, violin. Kilbourn Hall, Eastman, Apr. 1, 2021.
First two movements premiered by Matheus Garcia Souza, violin. Collaborative Composition Institute at Stony Brook University, Jun. 19, 2020.
This piece, cast in three short movements, recalls an image from my childhood: a distant hill, visible from the vicinity of my home. What was on the other side of that hill was an intriguing mystery, and I dreamed of being able to see beyond it. Although I now know what is on the other side, thanks to Google Earth, the context of the COVID-19 Pandemic inspired a return to this idea–not one of being “trapped,” but a sense of encounter with the temptation of the unknown and unexplored.
Perhaps referencing the image in my mind–an almost barren hill framed by an empty, blue sky–the piece uses only a few pitches.
