Strange Quiet (1985) 14'

Instrumentation: cl(bcl),egtr,pn,perc,vn,va

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Commissioner:

First Performer: Michael Gordon Philharmonic, Symphony Space, New York City, 18 November 1985

Program note:

"How strange that they are quiet," is what I thought when I was writing this piece with its twisting, hushed melodies. In the first, more introspective section, I wanted to create an eerie psychedelic sound world of overlapping tunes. In the second section, which is loud and rhythmic, the ensemble divides into two competing streams, eventually joining up again at the end in a high-pitched, ecstatic revelry. This was the second piece I wrote for the Michael Gordon Philharmonic.

—Michael Gordon