Chambers of the Twilight

Description

Cello — In the mid-1990s in Memphis, Tennessee, the Alabama cellist Craig Hultgren performed my trio Two Poems (1989) with such dedication, brilliance, and comprehension that I vowed to write him a solo work in gratitude for his labors.xa0 Chambers of the Twilight is the result.The single-movement essay is through-composed — it was written in one long day — and entirely constructed from the juxtapositions, repetitions, and variations of three brief gestures announced by the soloist in the opening measures.xa0 The separation and congealing of these three musical events — alternatively dramatic, melodic/“misterioso,” and violent — provide the genesis for all of the ensuing sonic material.xa0 An extended coda — marked “delicato e lontano” in the score — gives way to large pizzicato chords which bring the piece to a close.xa0 The work exploits fully the dynamic range and registral capabilities of the cello, placing considerable demands on the dexterity and stamina of the soloist.Chambers of the Twilight is approximately fifteen minutes in duration.xa0 The score was composed on April 2, 2001, in Ormond-by-the-Sea, Florida, and was written for the 2001 Hultgren Solo Cello Works Biennial.xa0 It is composed in loving memory of my maternal grandfather Ernest A. Pilgrim, a fine sculptor and bridge-builder, and is dedicated, with thanks, to Mr. Hultgren.