Imagined Conversations

for trumpet and piano | 2017
I. Ponderous and Yearning
II. Still and Tender
III. Frenetic and Exuberant

While my music is not usually “about” something, this piece found motivation in an extra-musical idea. It is cliché to say so, but forms of communication are rapidly changing, to the point that at times it is hard for me to even process how to best communicate via the new and expanding means that are available to us. Of course, social media has permanently changed the way we communicate and how we build relationships, sometimes in positive ways and sometimes not. This was all on my mind when I began writing this piece and I wanted to at least address these issues in the work even if I did not come to any conclusions. Each movement is loosely based on the idea of human communication and relationships, with the overall trajectory being one of hope. While this topic influenced the way I composed the piece, the ideas are only represented in a vague, abstract way. The adjective titles for each movement simply express the tone of each “conversation.”

I. Ponderous and Yearning
The work begins with a weighty movement, the longest and darkest of the piece. The point of departure for this movement is the earnest desire that people have to make meaningful connections with others. Yet often our connections are long-distance or are limited to electronic forms of interaction, which can make meaningful interaction more difficult. The trumpet represents this yearning with lyrical lines, while the piano is often on a different, more mechanical wavelength.

 II. Still and Tender
The second movement wrestles the difficult nature of connection—it takes time. Once we make the effort, though, the relationships we build are worth it and can become a source of strength and comfort. There are, however, always limitations to communication and we constantly have to work to overcome relational barriers.

III. Frenetic and Exuberant
The final movement views conversation from the opposite vantage point of the first movement in that now both participants are coming from the same place—their material is shared and their banter is that of old friends. There is a release of tension that was never quite resolved in the first movement and was suppressed in the second.

Imagined Conversations was commissioned by and is dedicated to my friend and colleague, Dr. Jesse Cook.