I was interested in writing a secular piece about winter that could be performed during that season’s concerts – and found Emerson’s poem to capture both the serene quietude and magnificent force of this weather. I had a blast writing the piano part, which has both traditional passages and more contemporary ideas like repeating clusters and thematic ostinati. I had just as much fun writing the choral parts, and incorporated many of the same ideas, including some improvised wind sounds, gradually building polyphonic sections, and powerful homophonic moments evoking the crushing power of a blizzard. Hear, see, and buy it on MusicSpoke. http://bit.ly/2bhfC1w
