oboe, violin, viola, cello (or, string quartet)
7 min.
Equinox refers to the time of year when the sun crosses the celestial equator; when days and nights are of equal length. For this work, I was thinking in particular of the autumnal equinox, when nature shifts from a lush green palette and long stretches of sunny days, to a more compressed, colourful existence with a briskness in the air, heralding the fall season.
This piece was composed for a Macedonian ensemble, Music Progressive Quartet, whom I had the pleasure to meet and tour with, while visiting the Balkans in summer of 2012. There are many references to Balkan rhythms, melody, and ornamentation in this music, though not in any traditional context. ‘Equinox’ is a convergence of elements that creates the unique sense of vitality and shifting of balance inherent in the changing seasons.
Equinox received its premiere, with Geronimo Mendoza- oboe, Mark Ferris- violin, Manti Poon- viola, and Sue Round- cello, at Pyatt Hall, Vancouver, Canada, March 30, 2014.
Performed on March 8th, 2019 (with string quartet)- Laura Roelofs and Velda Kelly- violins, Romona Merrit- viola, and Nadine Deleury- cello, at the Water’s Edge Event Centre, Windsor, ON, Canada, at an International Women’s Day benefit concert for two women’s shelters in the Windsor/Detroit area.
Performed on March 31st, 2019 (with string quartet)- Laura Roelofs and Velda Kelly- violins, Romona Merrit- viola, and Nadine Deleury- cello, at the Scarab Club, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
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Sheet music is available through the Canadian Music Centre: for oboe, violin, viola & cello, or for string quartet (two violins, viola & cello).