Glaciers (2009)
for orchestra
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Pacific Lutheran University Orchestra
Jeffrey Bell-Hanson, conductor
Jeffrey Bell-Hanson, conductor
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PROGRAM NOTE
Glaciers, for orchestra, was composed in 2009, commissioned by the orchestras of Albion College, Central Washington University, Pacific Lutheran University, and Sam Houston State University. The work, lasting approximately thirteen minutes, slowly makes its way through eight different harmonic areas, each containing six pitches. Within each of the eight sections, pitches remain in fixed registral positions but are varied timbrally as they shift from instrument to instrument. Transitions between each of the first seven sections are made via single pitches, while the transition to the last section is made via a pair of pitches that form the interval of a perfect fifth. The final harmonic section is composed entirely of this open, pure interval. The work’s title is inspired by the glaciers and moraines of Alaska, where the composer conceived of the work’s mood and large-scale structure while visiting in June 2008. The harmonic content was inspired by the 100th birthday of American composer Elliott Carter, whose Harmony Book provided the all-interval row from which most of Glaciers’ harmonic material was derived.