Instrumentation

2 Flutes (2nd doubles piccolo)
2 Oboes (2nd doubles english horn)
2 Clarinets in Bb
2 Bassoons

4 Horns in F
2 Trumpets in C
2 Trombones
1 Bass Trombone
1 Tuba

Timpani
Percussion 1
^{– glockenspiel
– bass drum (superball mallet)
– wind chimes
– vibraphone}
Percussion 2
^{– suspended cymbal
– clash cymbals
– crotales
– tam-tam
– triangle}

Harp

Strings

Duration: 6m45s
Year of Composition: 2023

Perusal Score

Program Notes

Air and Darkness was composed as a reflection on my relationship to the cold. I grew up in Manitoba, and have a love-hate relationship with prairie winters and freezing temperatures. You can bundle yourself up in layers of warm clothes, go for a walk in the snow, and (if you’ve got good boots) almost forget how dangerous it is to be outside in the dead of winter.
This piece was initially inspired by a walk I took, snowshoeing in -35°C on Lee River. I looked up and thought that my glasses had fogged over. A grey haze was obscuring the horizon, and if my feet hadn’t been on the ground, I don’t think I could have known which way was up or down. While staring into that grey abyss, I started to see chittering stars, like specks of crystal. I didn’t feel cold, and I didn’t think I had over-exerted myself, but I decided it was probably best to start making my way back home rather than go searching for stars in the snow. Air and Darkness explores that allure and menace of wind, snow, and ice.