Stardance

Composed:  2007
Duration:  10 minutes
Instrumentation:  3 (3 dbl picc)2 EH 22; 4331; 4 perc., 2 harp, strings

PROGRAM NOTES

Stardance is all about sparkling sounds that are in motion.  Like a dance of color and motion, the sound is passed quickly from musician to musician around the stage, sometimes from side to side, sometimes from front to back.   Early in the piece this motion occurs between solo instruments, especially the percussion, harps and solo strings. Eventually the music is taken up by larger orchestral groupings.
The sound starts in one part of the stage and floats or swings to another.  In addition, sometimes in full orchestral sections, the sound sweeps from side to side of the stage in a waltz-like motion.  The music conjures up images of sparkling, shining points of light moving through the dark space of the night sky in dance-like motion.