Description
Printemps (2004)
for string orchestra, or string quartet
duration: 5’
Premiered on April 16, 2004 at Trinity by the Cove Episcopal Church Naples, Florida, Jim Stephenson, conductor
The String Quartet version was commissioned and performed by Musicians-Out-of-the-Box in Sarasota, FL., and premiered on March 5, 2006.
In April, 2004, I was asked to conduct a string concert at Trinity-by-the-Cove Episcopal Church in Naples, FL. Because the concert was to be held in the springtime, and because we needed something a little upbeat to offset Shostakovich’s sobering 8th quartet, I decided to compose Printemps. Since then, L’hiver has been added, with hopes that eventually a Saisons may be completed.
The music:
As mentioned above, the music is upbeat, carrying with it the sense that it is a playful time, with harbingers of sunny days and awakening life to come. This is especially true in the middle section, where bold harmonies and rising phrases can only portray a sense of optimism and rebirth.
Jim Stephenson, 2006
