In Between II

In Between II, Eric Nathan (2023) 15'
for orchestra

The inspiration for the work came from my standing in a forest near my house on a late afternoon. As I stood there amidst the trees – these magisterial, quiet, monumental, and seemingly wise beings – I felt their imposing yet comforting presence, and listened to all the motion and movement that seemed to inhabit the “quiet” that surrounded me. It reminded me of a visit I made to my friend’s property in Vermont a few years prior, on an invitation to come and “meet” the trees that are so dear to him, hoping they might inspire a musical composition. This has all been a starting point that unlocked my imagination in surprising ways, creating within and between spaces of stillness and activity and listening and singing. In the work, players perform rustling, feathery sounds, the conductor “paints” gesturally through the ensemble in a music filled with entwining, chorale-like singing, meditative stillness and vibrantly charged musical textures woven through it all. 

In Between II (2023) was co-commissioned by the Oberlin College & Conservatory for the Oberlin Sinfonietta, Timothy Weiss, Director, and co-commissioned by the New England Philharmonic, Tianhui Ng, Music Director. In Between II is dedicated to Michael Sporn, in memory.

In Between II is a full orchestral expansion of In Between (2022) for ensemble which was commissioned by the Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition for the Grossman Ensemble, and was dedicated to the Grossman Ensemble, conductor Timothy Weiss, and director and founder Augusta Read Thomas, with admiration and gratitude.  

Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2/4.2.2.1/3 perc/hp.pno/str with 5 A Harmonicas, 4 G Harmonicas, and 3 D Harmonicas

Orchestral performance parts are available via rental.

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