Grossman Ensemble premieres Keith Fitch's "still"
Program notes:
As a composer, I often find that my current piece is, in many ways, a reaction to its most recent predecessor. This is certainly true of still. The work immediately preceding it, Alee, is a large-scale orchestral work, much of which is fast and loud, bold and brash. Except for one brief, climactic moment, still is the complete opposite — quiet, intimate, reflective. The work is essentially comprised of two elements: a series of expressive, almost improvisational solos in the woodwinds and horn, surrounded and supported by a series of slow-moving harmonies. In fact, the entire harmonic foundation of the piece is made up of only six chords, first heard as a rapid, falling figure in the work’s opening gesture, and then explored throughout the remainder of the work. At the same time, the surface of this slow-moving music is very active but still almost silent — fingertips on vibraphone and marimba, quick figures and lefthand “hammering” (playing without the bow) in the muted strings, very quiet, uneven trills, etc. It is one world, meditative and introspective. The work lasts approximately twelve minutes in performance. still is the first commission I received following the loss of my mother in May 2020 and is dedicated to her memory. The following lines by the twentieth-century Italian poet Eugenio Montale are included in the score as an epigraph:
La vita che sembrava
vasta è più breve del tuo fazzoletto.
[Life, which once seemed so vast,
is smaller than your handkerchief.]
Keith Fitch's piece still premiered on March 3, 2023 with the Grossman Ensemble.