A Strange and Preposterous Affair

Commissioned by the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra

Duration: 5’30” approximately

Instrumentation:

Piccolo
Flute
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets in B!
2 Bassoons
4 Horns in F
2 Trumpets in C
3 Trombones (3.Bass)
Tuba
4 Timpani (I: 32 in., II: 28 in., III: 25 in., IV: 23 in.)
2 Percussion
Violin I
Violin II
Viola
Cello
Contrabass
Percussion List:
Percussion I: Vibraphone, Tam-Tam
Percussion II: Glockenspiel, Temple Blocks, Bass Drum

Program Notes

Commissioned by the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, A Strange and Preposterous Affair is a tribute to the great, and sometimes difficult, changes we experience in life. It is inspired by the composer’s recent experience grappling with personal change and feeling her identity evolve into something new. She sees this piece as a moment of reflection — a commentary on the experience where she could embrace and celebrate the confusion and chaos of the process, ultimately recognizing the conflicting absurdity and triumph of life’s little evolutions.

Centred in two contrasting keys, the music presents a struggle between two different themes and ideas. The trumpet opens with the first theme, loud and confident — settled in the comfort and security of familiarity. But the second theme betrays a sense of yearning — wondering what other possibilities might exist. Throughout the piece, the two themes struggle against each other in a battle for dominance to see who will triumph — which version of yourself is really you?

As the music progresses, each theme begins to take on aspects of the other; they stretch and expand, playing around with different keys and metres, and merge together, where they take turns serving as both melody and countermelody. This struggle continues until the triumphant revelation of both themes together at the end: change is not about becoming something new at the expense of what came before; it is about the moment where the past and the future meet and begin to blend. Change is absurd and uncomfortable. It can be unexpected and overwhelming, but it can also be exciting, fulfilling, and ultimately so worthwhile.