Dreamwine (2019)

for clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon, harp, violin, viola, violoncello, 2 contrabass - [18 minutes]

This work was commissioned and premiered by New Downbeat.

Program Note

Recently, a few friends of mine have gone through some terrible losses. Seeing them grow through their own pain has made me appreciate their part in my life all the more deeply. Around the same time, I began to experience a series of intense dreams involving my own loved ones. Once I would wake from one of these vivid dreams, I jotted down as much as I could remember including a short abstract line to sum up the emotional vibe of each memory. Below are some of the lines that were chosen after the work was complete as the most apt to describe the emotional content of each movement.

Drink deep from the well, a liquid violet warm to the touch. Dream calmly with compassion and without hesitation. Through a cluster of floating stone, rivers ran free of land. A chorus could be heard illuminating the crag canyon. “Goodnight child; your world loved you and you will be missed.”

An arrangement for sections of this piece was made for oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone, and piano titled Sip of Dreamwine.