Dedicated to Alexander Boldachev.
I composed Space Scape in New York City in March 2024, originally conceived as a landscape, in the spirit of a landscape painting. In the revision process over the following month, space revealed itself to me in the piece, yielding the title Space Scape. In my obsession with space, I made my first attempts at painting space subjects, marveled at images from the James Webb Telescope, and traveled to my hometown of Dallas, Texas to witness the total solar eclipse of April 8th, 2024. Each of these images inspired me to continue deepening my relationship with art, music, and the natural world. The result is my latest meditation on space.
The harp, the star of the piece, is unlike a woodwind, brass, or bowed string instrument because each note naturally decays after the harpist plucks a string. Akin to a shooting star, each note is ephemeral yet brilliant. When played together, the strings resonate as a meteor shower, always disappearing. This piece exploits the natural decay of the harp to convey the vastness of space, time, and humanity's place in the cosmos. The composition begins with three chords, a recurring motif forming the north star of the piece. As the harp explores the harmony, the textures vary, signifying the unfathomable variety of our universe. A sonic meditation, the piece is often abstract yet pithy.
I have paired this work with the "Pillars of Creation," a photograph taken by the James Webb Telescope (credit NASA), inspired by the Hubble's picture of the same iconic portion of the Carina Nebula in the Southern Sky.
Dedicated to Alexander Boldachev, a treasured partner in this creative endeavor.
Alexander Boldachev, Los Angeles, 4/24/24