Voices: SSAA, pno, perc, vla - The Willow Tree

Ensemble: chorus (SSAA), piano, percussion, viola

Duration: 13 minutes

Commissioned by: Brooklyn Youth Chorus

Premiere: TBD

Published by: Yes Daedalus Music

Note:

The text for this piece was written by my close friend and collaborator Karen Russell. She and I were interested in creating a new myth with contemporary resonance that would speak to the experience of people coming of age in the last few years. We spoke with the members of Brooklyn Youth Chorus about their recent experiences growing up and making music in the shadow of the pandemic.

One of the themes that kept coming up was isolation— the chorus having only recently reconvened after the pandemic kept them from meeting in person. Another theme was a desire to reconnect with nature, and the grounding impact the natural world can have for someone growing up in an urban setting.

Incorporating their input, Karen and I imagined a story about a young person who, during a season of isolation, knocks on the wood of a tree in a public park, accidentally awakening a centuries-old dryad. (The modern day superstition of “knocking on wood” is rooted in Greek mythology— the practice began as an appeal to the gods of nature for help.)

The dryad’s voice begins in whispers, gradually growing in confidence until the entire chorus is singing in full voice. Meanwhile the woody, restless sound of the viola evokes struggle inside a casing of bark.

I have always been interested in myths and fairytales, where wonder can turn to terror with a trick of the light. I tried to evoke this feeling in the music, with major tonalities unexpectedly slipping to minor, and sing-song melodies twisting into gnarled roots.

Perusal score: view here