for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion, piano, and electroacoustic sounds
commissioned by ASCAP/SEAMUS Student Commissioning Program

Recorded by the Switch~ Ensemble:
Zach Sheets, flute
Sammy Lesnick, clarinet
Lauren Cauley, violin
T.J. Borden, cello
Megan Arns, percussion
Wei-Han Wu, piano
Jason Thorpe Buchanan, conductor

Smoke and Mirrors [Excerpt]

Recast Fragments - Mvmt IV

Recast Fragments - Mvmt III

Recast Fragments - Mvmt II

Recast Fragments - Mvmt I

For this work, I collaborated with my close friend, former neighbor, and wonderful poet F. Daniel Rzicznek, who teaches English composition and poetry at Bowling Green State University. After telling him about the project, I asked him to write a poem that I could respond to in some way, and Compass is the result.

The images within Compass immediately called to mind Shenandoah National Park, a park special to me and one not far from my home in Richmond, Virginia. Each of the three movements in the view from here bears a title that comes from a line of Dan's poem and also contains a subtitle connecting it to Shenandoah.

The first movement, "drones and swells of the not-far road," is a meditation on the park's most prominent feature: Skyline Drive, a scenic highway winding its way through the entire park. "a point off in the blue woods," the second movement, was inspired by Big Meadows (a large, open space in the heart of the park) and features bells and distant, fragmented quotes of folk song. The third movement "moving points in the hooves and feet of animals" is subtitled "hawksbill" for the trail leading to the highest summit of the park, which offers incredible vistas and many opportunities for encountering wildlife.

the view from here - II. a point off in the blue woods

the view from here - I. drones and swells of the not-far road

the view from here - III. moving points in the hooves and feet of animals

the view from here [full recording]

For flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion, and piano. 
Performed by eighth blackbird in Camp Concert Hall, Richmond, VA.

christopher chandler

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