Voices of Time: A Portrait of Lake Moraine
| Year Composed: | 2002 (revised 2007) |
| Instrumentation: | 2.2.2.2./4.2.3.1/timp+1 perc/hp/strings |
| Duration | 6 minutes |
Audio Excerpts (MP3)
Program Notes
Voices of Time: A Portrait of Lake Moraine is a musical meditation on one of Canada’s most exquisite natural treasures. Its striking, deep-coloured hues and vibrant recesses directly inspired the aural palette for this piece. I wanted, however, to develop a dramatic musical arc that would transcend the bounds of a purely impressionistic portrait. In order to reconcile this aim with the depiction of an inanimate, static locale, I envisioned a journey through time in which Lake Moraine, a geological entity, was the unusual, sole participant.
The piece is divided into three sections: Dawn, Afternoon, and Dusk. Each section, though overtly based on the shifting visual timbres of Lake Moraine as it passes through the day, also serves as a metaphor for various stages of a life cycle—birth, youth, and death—a cycle which governs all things, even when they span vast stretches of geological time. The third section, “Dusk”, contains within it a cataclysm which symbolizes the inevitability of death over time, and the terror of facing what lies beyond. The crisis passes, however, and is transcended in a moment inspired by the simple beauty of a resplendent sun setting over Lake Moraine.
Performances
- May 25, 2002 - Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Michael Reason; Hamilton Place, Hamilton
- February 15, 2007 - University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Raffi Armenian (reading only)
- December 17, 2007 - Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, conducted by Alain Trudel. MacMillan Theatre, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto
Commissions and Awards
- winner of the First Annual Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra Young Composers' Competition, 2002