Spiegel Grove
| YEAR: | 2023 |
| DURATION: | 7 minutes |
| CATEGORY: | Orchestra/Chamber Orchestra |
| INSTRUMENTATION: | 2.2.2.2 - 2.2.2.0. - 2 percussion - Harp - Piano - Strings |
| PREMIERE: | July 1, 2023 National Orchestra Institute + Festival Conductors // Jingqi Zhu and Sydney Mukasa |
(EXCERPT)
Program Note:
Recently, I came across an article on artificial reefs (an object from the surface acting as an underwater habitat). I was immediately struck by the phenomenon and the controversy surrounding the concept and decided to explore its musical possibilities. My ideas are primarily about the friction between land and sea and between a foreign object becoming embedded within a pre-existing, natural environment. The piece’s architecture is inspired by this dichotomy: two disparate ideas that gradually evolve and grow together as time passes.
As I was writing, I stumbled upon the work of Jason deCaires Taylor, an artist who creates striking underwater sculptures (https://www.underwatersculpture.com/). A phrase used to describe the process of transferring his sculptures from land to water resonated with me:
“As soon as we sink them, they belong to the sea.”
The title, Spiegel Grove refers to the 1954 United States Navy ship by the same name. It was sunk in the Florida Keys on June, 10, 2002.