MIDI rendition.

The term “cascade” evokes a sense of natural energy and momentum; the energetic, fast-paced pulse of this piece seeks to replicate a similar sense of motion. Cascade is also the name of a mountain in Banff National Park (Canada), which I hiked in the summer of 2014. I was struck on my way up to the top by the solitude of the trail, being away from everything, but still being surrounded by life and energy. Though I was far from the noise of daily life and all the clutter below and in many ways felt distant from everything, I saw wildflowers and butterflies far beyond the treeline. Up even higher, I found fossils of ancient sea creatures that lived when the mountaintop shale formed the ocean floor hundreds of millions of years ago. The mountain was a beautiful testament to life on our planet, and the view from the top was spectacular. In Cascade, I seek to musically represent the wonder of the nature around me that day, some of the solitude, and the exhilarating journey to the top.

Premiered March 2016 - Irving, TX

Cascade (2016)

Latin for "eternal light", the "Lux Aeterna" is usually encountered as a final movement of a liturgical requiem.  In this case, it is the ending of a larger work of mine in the making, "Missa borealis".  The movement is scored for between 6-12 cellists with or without amplification.

still life
locked
in a crystal embrace,
sweetest sound
of silence,
suspended peace
of timeless night,
and clarity
of dreamless sleep

an empty window
to warmth forgotten
without a thought
nor love of dawn

alone
in this darkest calm
of everlasting light
- by the composer (2015)

Lux Aeterna (2016)

MVDS

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