Instrumentation: Trumpet, bassoon, piano
Duration: 15:00
Premiere: 1980
Florida State University Contemporary Music Festival
Tampa, FL
Program Note:
Lost Angels explores the contrasting timbral qualities of the sounding bodies of the trumpet, bassoon, and piano; of brass, wood, and their combinations. It was inspired by the disembodied nature of the musical messengers, the way sound reaches us through the aether. The first movement, With Abandon, is bright, and the clarity of the timbres is clear. The second, Intimately, moves quietly and more mysteriously, blending the timbres more completely. The third, With Zest, is dynamic and dancelike, while the last, Forcefully, breaks the timbres apart again. It begins with an extended bassoon cadenza, and features a lively conversation between the trumpet and bassoon, with the piano commenting and at times taking over. Lost Angels was premiered at the Florida State University Contemporary Music Festival. –JS