(1.1.1.1 / 1.1.1.0 / 1perc, harp / 2.2.2.2.1)
Program Note
It is not unusual for me to take a break from working on a piece and return months later to finish it. It is, however, unusual for me to come back to a piece no fewer than three times over a period of as many years.
I first penned the piece that would become Book of Spells near the beginning of 2022, but despite being ostensibly finished, something about it never sat right with me. I tried reworking the piece, first for wind ensemble and later for piano trio, but both attempts eventually fizzled out. Still, there was something about the piece that kept me coming back, something that made me want to do the music justice.
Book of Spells is a piece that plays with energy. The music ranges from restrained and murky to overtly and unapologetically power-mad. It has been a tremendous joy to be able to recompose this piece for the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, and to share with you its particular flavor of elusive magic.