| Summary: | Distorted Visions is a two-movement piece that marks my return to writing for
large wind ensemble. Much of my recent work has been stimulated by issues
concerning the human mind. Topics ranging from mental disorders to the ability of the
mind to project imagery provided impulse for my work. Distorted Visions continues
along that vein, focusing on recollection and how the mind may remember something
differently than actually occurred. It may be compared to looking at an image, and then
looking at that same image through the bottom ofa drinking glass. The image is
recognizably there, but it is greatly distorted. Each movement ofthis work thus focuses
on the distortion of a different musical idea.
The first movement, Broken Memory, features a solo bassoon that attempts to
recall a distant melodic memory. It first emerges from a haze of material in the
marimbas and low brass, and begins to materialize, only to be interrupted by another
memory. The movement then begins to solidify as these two ideas overlap. The
principal melody of the bassoon desperately tries to develop and sing, but is constantly
interrupted by a stronger, more violent idea. The music continues until the interruptions
overtake the melody completely, forcing the memory to fade back into another haze at
the end.
The second movement, Malfunctioning Process, is concerned with the process
of building an ostinato, one that disintegrates and takes off in different directions. I
think of this movement as an "ostinato machine" that keeps breaking down. The
movement begins with an initial process that builds the musical material into a
recognizable form, a melody. The music is then overwhelmed by the first malfunction,
heard in the low brass. The process begins anew, distortedly attempting the creation of
another melody but leading only to another breakdown. The final process takes place in
the woodwinds, leading to a return of the opening material, this time slowed down. As
the ''machine'' continues to slow, the entire ensemble comes together on a unison B-flat,
leading to the final moment at which the machine, violently yet inexorably, shuts off.
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