Compositions

Evocative slow movement.

Melangell Variations was commissioned by Jeremy Huw Williams and the Welsh Chamber Orchestra with the assistance of the Ralph Vaughan Williams Trust and Ty Cerdd. It was first performed at the Beaumaris Festival, May 28, 2018, by the Welsh Chamber Orchestra, c. Anthony Hose, with soloists Karen Coker Merritt and Jeremy Huw Williams. The composer writes:
"Several years ago it was my good fortune to be introduced to the Shrine Church of Saint Melangell, at Pennant Melangell, deep in the Berwyn Mountains of Wales. While there, I purchased a book of poems about St. Melangell, “The Hare That Hides Within,” and was immediately drawn to a set of six poems by former Welsh poet laureate, Gwyneth Lewis. I subsequently met Gwyneth Lewis and she graciously gave me permission to set three of these poems (I, II, and VI) as my own work of the same name, “Melangell Variations.” The words of Gwyneth Lewis capture the ancient story of a young female hermit whose grace and piety led her to shelter a hare in her robes while keeping a hunter’s hounds at bay. Melangell would eventually become the abbess of a sanctuary, now a place of pilgrimage. The titles of the three linked movements of the piece speak for themselves: I. The Story; II. Her Silence; III. A Cloud of Witnesses. As a composer I have been inspired by poetry, nature, and spiritual values. In “Melangell Variations” all three elements find a home." – HT

That Jewel-Spirit was commissioned by Lick-Wilmerding High School to commemorate the life of former student Moe Christie Nakamura. Sacred Mount Haguro links the words of contemporary American poet Penny Harter and the Japanese haiku by Matsuo Bashô (tr. W. J. Higginson). Bashô's haiku was written at Mount Haguro as a memorial poem; Penny Harter wrote "At the Top of Mount Haguro, Japan" while she and her husband W. J. Higginson were part of an international party following the Dewa section of Bashô's "Narrow Road of the Interior." The connections between “Momo” (the nickname of the beloved student who was an accomplished singer in her own right), Japan, and the USA are many. – HT

Morlais Castle is a seemingly haphazard pile of rocks near the composer’s first home in Wales. At one point a protruding piece of wall is evident. The rhythmical placement of stones in the partial wall lies in contrast to the boulder-strewn surrounding landscape. The composition was inspired by this contrast and also the implied contrast between the hustle and bustle of the former castle and its present bleak appearance where the ruin is practically indistinguishable from the natural contours of the high moorland. The Walls of Morlais Castle (mixed trio) was composed in fall 1998 when the composer was teaching in Nanjing Normal University. – HT

It was transcribed for strings in 2009 and was premiered in Merkin Hall NY, March 8 2010, by the N/S Chamber Orchestra conducted by Max Lifchitz.

Recording: North/South Recordings EXPRESSIONS

Toward Dusk is an arrangement by the composer of the last movement of Water’s Edge, a piano duet for advanced students commissioned by the 1993 New York State Music Teacher’s Association Conference. The "edge" of the original title refers to the upper surface of the water as it reflects or refracts light. During Toward Dusk echoes of the previous two movements ("Dawn Light" and "From the Riverbed") are heard as the light gradually fades from view. – HT

Toward Dusk received its first performance May 6 2001 in Saratoga Music Hall, Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY, by the Saratoga Springs Youth Orchestra conducted by Lucy Joseph.

Performed here by the Slovak Radio Orchestra, Kirk Trevor, conductor. (Audio is the beginning.)

Water’s Edge is in three interlinked movements, each of which may be performed separately. The “edge” of the title refers to the upper surface of the water as it reflects or refracts light. In the first movement (Dawn Light), the light is held at the surface, while in the second movement (From the Riverbed), the light dances through the upper surface of the water to the riverbed below. During the final movement (Toward Dusk), echoes of the previous two movements are heard as the light fades from view. – HT

The work was originally composed as a piano duet for advanced students in response to a commission from the New York State Music Teachers’ Association. The first performance was given at the NYSMTA Conference, 30 October 1993, at SUNY Purchase, NY. The composer’s transcription for string orchestra was premiered the following year (30 August, 1994) by the Presteigne Festival Orchestra conducted by George Vass, in Presteigne, Wales. The US premiere took place in Schenectady NY, by the St. Cecelia Orchestra conducted by Peter Bay, 6 November, 1994.

Performed here by the North/South Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Max Lifchitz. (Audio excerpt is the beginning of Mvt. 2: From The Riverbed.)

Recordings: North/South Recordings AMERICAN TAPESTRY