Instrumentation: Reed quintet (Ob., Cl., A. Sax, BCl., Bsn)

Duration: 7’30”

Program notes

The vigorous musical idea at the heart of A Sunward Tilt was sketched out on the northern hemisphere's summer solstice in 2024 (June 20th) when the earth’s top is as tilted toward the sun as it gets. Contained within the idea is all the energy and possibility of the three-month sprint to absorb as much sunshine and activity as possible that describes summer in the pacific northwest. After winter brings several months of grey gloom and rain, spring serves up tantalizing glimpses of the possibility of joy in the outdoors again. The anticipation builds until finally the clouds part for good at the end of June and give an uninterrupted run of near-perfect weather through mid-September. The fulfillment of that anticipation is where this music begins. Amidst the irrepressible summer energy are moments of reflection—at the feet of a mountain, standing off to the side for a breather at an old friend’s wedding, watching a meteor shower streak across the Milky Way. The energetic and reflective moods contrast and complement one another, in the end combining, building to a fevered pitch and receding, the fire going out but the glowing embers there to the end.