Replicas (2019)
for piano and orchestra
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Waterloo–Cedar Falls Symphony
Ashlee Mack, piano
Jason Weinberger, conductor
Ashlee Mack, piano
Jason Weinberger, conductor
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PROGRAM NOTE
Replicas, for piano and orchestra, was commissioned by the Waterloo–Cedar Falls Symphony, with additional support provided by the Iowa Composers Forum. The composition re-visits material originally utilized in the creation of Still, an hour-long solo piano piece inspired by the work of American abstract expressionist painter Clyfford Still. Still would occasionally create new versions of his own pre-existing works, re-painting them with subtle variation in color and/or size. He called these reimaginings "replicas," and declared that "Making additional versions is an act I consider necessary when I believe the importance of the idea or break-through merits survival on more than one stretch of canvas." Over the 18 minutes of Replicas, the piano soloist introduces material that the orchestra then "re-paints" by contributing additional timbres (colors) and extended duration (size). The interaction between piano and orchestra is integrated and complementary throughout, though on two occasions the orchestral timbres recede to reveal passages of virtuosic unaccompanied piano that are reminiscent and reflective of cadenzas found in a traditional concerto.