Diptych: the Swan and the Shadow
Instrumentation: Choir (SATB), organ, and cello Completed: April, 2009 Commissioned by: Mayfest 2009, Cornell University Dedicated to: Xak Bjerken and Miri Yampolsky Duration: 10 minutes Text: "The Swan" by F.S. Flint and "The Shadow" by William Carlos Williams. Premiered: May 19, 2009, 8:00pm at Cornell University. Bianca Rosa di Fiamma, Scott Tucker, conductor, with Tim Pyper on organ and John Haines-Eitzen on cello. |
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Audio
Program Note
I have always been attracted to the ancient visual medium of the Diptych, which consists of two panels connected by a hinge. What distinguishes this form from other forms of visual art is the least-discussed part: the humble hinge. Through the simple act of connection that this hinge performs, the two panels are placed in relationship with one another; without it, they would just be two separate pieces. The simple hinge, therefore, becomes an object of great artistic importance. In this piece the two poems are connected by a musical “hinge,” represented by the solo cello, which connects and comments on the material of the two choral movements. The first movement, “The Swan”, uses short, quick figures in the organ to evoke the deep quivering of fishes, and the second movement, “The Shadow”, more calmly (and, perhaps, sinisterly) evokes the early arrival of Spring.
Performances (1)
| May 19, 2009, 8:00 pm (premiere) | Bianca Rosa di Fiamma, Scott Tucker, conductor; Tim Pyper, organ; John Haines-Eitzen, cello Sage Chapel, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY |