for chamber ensemble (fl/picc+cl+vib/tom+pf+vn+va+vc)
duration: 9′
Commissioned and premiered by the Illinois Modern Ensemble

Program notes

In a year when breathing has had so many implications in our lives as a basic necessity of survival, Respirare is influenced by the act of inspiring, through flowing harmonies and spacious textures. The first section is informed by a descending harmonic procession in a major tonality heard in the warm tremolo of the strings. The energy of this section erupts into a flowing sixteenth note pattern that is heard throughout the ensemble with rhythms slightly altered to create an ambiguous open space.

The descending melody that was part of the harmonic progression in the beginning returns, only now in a tumultuous environment of growing tension. The vibraphone calls the attention of the ensemble, but no one hears it until the third time, in a last plea for help. Then, a mirrored version of the first harmonic progression is heard, but it cannot return to its original form. A melody that was once heard as a hidden contrapuntal idea makes its way into the forefront, and disappears into the distance.