World premiere: New York Classical Players, Dongmin Kim, conductor, W83 Cultural Center, Manhattan, May 10, 2025
Program note:
In 2017, my wife Julie and I, on a trip to Italy, visited the Borghese Gallery in Rome, where four statues of the Renaissance sculptor, Pietro Bernini are prominently displayed. The statues, entitled Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring, recalled for me Vivaldi’s Baroque masterpiece, The Four Seasons, and I began to envision a composition that would pay tribute both to the 18th century composer and the 17th century sculptor. When Dongmin Kim asked me to compose a piece for the celebrated New York Classical Players, I thought back to these imposing statues, particularly Winter, with its thick sheepskin cloth enveloping the figure, and Autumn, with a woman’s plentiful harvest held high. I revisited photos online and began to make musical sketches.
Dongmin’s invitation included a request to reference Mozart, a focal composer of the orchestra’s 15th season. This additional influence shaped the work’s lively opening and closing sections. Neo-classic moments also recall Mozart. The challenge was to smoothly combine the various influences to achieve a satisfying musical whole. The moods of the individual movements are: 1 (Summer) buoyant, lively; 2 (Autumn) earnest, stately; 3 (Winter) shivering, with agitation; and finally, 4 (Spring) hopeful, with optimism---leading back to Summer.