An imposing tower cast a shadow
As far as I could see. 
It covered the land behind it in darkness.
The setting sun shone resplendently
On its facade and its majesty
Was only dimmed by the poverty in its hinterlands.

...

Some ambient Gnomewave from my Polybrute. I had an idea for a loose travel-themed story that I might set to music.

The Tower (version 1)

Kick Flam 808

Josh and Travis talk about the time Travis won a race, the time Travis ran in work boots to get a producer their coffee and a celebrity edition of Stacked or Whacked!

Stacking Wood Episode 26 - Josh & Travis

Performed on May 18, 2018. 

Rufus Müller, tenor

Maeve Schallert, violin
Lily Moerschel, cello
Eva Grunblatt, clarinet/bass clarinet
Gabriela Rosado, flute
Corey Chang, piano
Sam Gohl & Ryan Voell, percussion

Michael Patterson, conductor

Ethan Isaac, master engineer

Notes on the piece:

Back in 2018, I wrote a song cycle based on eight poems of Catullus, an ancient Roman poet. I centered the narrative of my work around the passionate yet hotheaded character presented in many of his poems. In the final movement of this piece, "Miser Catulle, desinas ineptire" (which I'm sharing here), we encounter the character of Catullus just after a fiery break-up with his famed lover, Lesbia. When composing this movement I sought to capture the two conflicting sides of Catullus' character: the one that wants to be tough and hide all feelings, and the one that wants to openly express raw emotion. I thought the words in this poem still resonate with our own present-day society's expectations to ignore our feelings and treat them as a sign of weakness rather than true strength.

The Tower (version 1)

clam

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