Voices

Voices is the telling of
three different images. The first image, Blitz,
carries a tremendous amount of relentless, frenzied energy. It describes a high
level of intensity, always on the verge of explosion. The second image, Soft Enlacing, carries a much more vague
meaning, and is a calming contrast from the first movement. It may be very much
like a walk through the house in the middle of the night: while the floor feels
solid under foot, the rest of the world, to the eyes and ears, seems to be
moving shadows. It may also be a gentle hug or the warm emotional embrace of a
loved one. Again its image is not meant to be clear-cut and depends upon the
listener. The final movement, Grace, is
the calmest and carries the greatest possible number of meanings: the giving of
thanks at a meal: the grace seen in behavior or in a personality: grace in
one’s movement: the bestowing of oneself unto others: the quiet presence that
exists in a being’s soul. The telling of these images is from manic and
frenzied to calm and quiet, from specific to vague, and from dark to light. Voices was commissioned by the
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. It is played without a break.