LUX
for full orchestra: 3(3=pic).3.3.2.cbsn—4.3.3.1—timp.perc(3)—hrp—pno.cel—strings
completed 2008, rev. 2009
8 minutes
LUX full score: page 1
Program Note
LUX is a piece that exists in a dream. A spirit floating in a grand, ornate space like a cathedral, encircled by wandering voices disconnected from their surroundings. The listener is this spirit. Individual voices initially sound disconnected but eventually merge into a harmonious chorus, growing stronger until a climax of dissonance consumes the space, leading to a violent collapse into darkness and destruction. LUX is an ascension to light followed by a plunge to darkness and annihilation.
Written at the Curtis Institute of Music in 2008, LUX was premiered by Tebby Abrams and the Curtis Symphony. After earning the Marilyn K. Glick Young Composers Award, the Indianapolis Symphony premiered a revised version in 2009.
-Stephen Cabell