Opening

Opening juxtaposes music of stillness and activity in a series of broadening gestures that unfurl over the course of its eight-minute trajectory. It asks us to listen to ourselves in the space that we inhabit together. Solo players are placed around the hall surrounding the audience, participating in intimate dialogues that reach across to the other soloists and players on the stage. The musicians also resound forcefully, enveloping the hall from all sides in resonance. At times, players in the strings are asked to play their parts asynchronously, as if they are soloists within a larger collective, creating a communal sense of singing. Opening begins with reverence and closes in celebration. Opening is dedicated to The Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the Library of Congress, to the memory of Serge and Natalie Koussevitzky, and with admiration and gratitude to Ken-David Masur and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.