From Time to Eternity for Orchestra (2015/18)
For death is no more than a turning over of us from Time to Eternity.
William Penn, Fruits of Solitude
Program Note
Originally arranged for a sparse instrumentation of violin, tenor sax, percussion, and piano, this piece for full orchestra examines the theme of untimely death.
The piece began as a single line, traced on paper. This line charted my inner state as I reacted to the news of the sudden death of a childhood friend. These feelings expressed as the time became crystallized as the architecture of the piece.
During the composition process, I strove to balance the frustration of untimely death with the relief of fond remembrance. From Time to Eternity’s timbres and structure reflect this dichotomy. Sections alternate between muddy darkness and warm light. The title comes from the writings of Quaker and philosopher William Penn, who also struggled with untimely death in the early days of Pennsylvania’s colony, and wrote in Fruits of Solitude, “For death is no more than a turning over of us from time to eternity.” Although the quote reflects Christian belief, it resonated with me primarily as a physical truth. The matter in our bodies was manufactured by collapsing stars, and someday the dust of our bodies will return to that celestial state. For the briefest moment however, we experience time, and from that springs our experiences of love, story, anxiety, memory, and even music itself. Then, in a moment, we return to the eternal nature of unconscious matter.