Shadows

This piece begins with the philosophical concept that everything has a metaphorical ´shadow´: creation seems to require struggle, peace is perceived by the presence of conflict, harmony is released from discord, thus a balance (as in the 2nd movement) is reached by the presence of opposites. Conversely, while shadows prove an absence of light, for it is the shadows´ object that blocks the light thus creating the shadow in the first place, shadows also prove existence. So the shadow in this context is one of affirmation. A rain forest that cast no shadows has ceased to be. Shadows of endangered species will no longer grace the earth. Shadows then can be seen as both positive and negative. This piece starts with man´s conflict with man, a lone monument (WWII monument in London), depicted by a solo trumpet, casts a shadow. Echoes of man´s discomfort with himself arise as does the idea of conflict being the shadow of peace. The second movement, balance, shows a theoretical equilibrium as two disparate musical harmonies are sounded thus creating a third. This continues throughout the movement using rhythmic pulses which themselves begin to play against each other, creating new rhythms. The 3rd and 4th movements, Shadow dance, and moonlight and neon, are a more literal musical representation of shadows: the dance of shadows on a summer´s day and the sometimes eerie distortions of shadows at night. In Shadow dance, half the ensemble is muted throughout, acting as