David Dzubay, conductor
IU Jacobs Symphony Orchestra
Premiere performance: Nov. 19th, 2024
Musical Arts Center; Bloomington, IN
Program Note:
it haunts me still (2024) explores the effect of powerful memories on the psyche of the individual. Cast in the form of a “chaconne” (variations over a repeated harmonic progression), the memory itself is represented metaphorically by the reoccurring harmonic progression which underlies each section of the piece. This “memory” progression consists of seven chords which seem to point towards a tonal center that is never achieved, with the final chord in the sequence seemingly having no relation to the implied tonic. Just as memories and their often contradictory content structure our perception of the world, the hypothetical relation between the implied tonic and the final chord in the sequence structures the modulatory scheme of the progression and the form of the piece as a whole.
The memory (whose nature can be either pleasurable or painful) states itself forcefully at the outset of the piece, imprinting itself on the listener. As the piece develops, one can hear this memory being stretched, re-contextualized, and ultimately distorted. Although the character of the music changes drastically, the memory is always there, forming the background to (and origin of) the ever-changing melodic content on the surface.
The most powerful memories never leave you, even if you are not aware they are there (consciously or subconsciously). Just as our successes act as watershed moments on our journey through life, so do our failures and our traumas. The two are equally influential in determining not only our external circumstances, but also our character. In many ways, one could say that we are nothing more than instantiations of our past looking eternally towards the future. Whether this is a good thing or not, I am uncertain. But it is clear that wherever we are, and whatever we do, we will never be able to escape our past entirely.
Website: cooperwoodmusic.com
Music Copyright © 2024 Cooper Wood