contrabassoon

The Other Side of Time was written for the New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble at the request of its director, Charles Peltz. It is scored for 25 wind instruments, timpani, and 4 percussionists. After a brooding beginning, each of its contiguous sections develops at a different but related tempo, often moving within from lyrical lines to dramatic outbursts. The final section, at the original tempo, recalls the material of the opening and its anxious percussion activity. While the piece is meant to reflect some kind of spiritual journey, the title is actually taken from a book by paleontologist/geologist Robert Titus on the origins of the Catskill Mountains in New York State.

The second movement of A THOREAU SYMPHONY, a winner in the 1993 Goffredo Petrassi Orchestral Competirion (Italy), performable separately; a colorful and exuberant homage to Henry David Thoreau (for the other movements of the symphony, see ON CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE and CHRYSALIS.)