Duration: 8 minutes
Instrumentation: 3333/4331/timp.3perc.harp/cel.(dbl. pro)/strings
Program note:
Commissioned by the Symphony of the Hills
On Friday, May 1st, 2020, my wife and two children—for the first time in many weeks—left home for a day trip into the south Texas hill country. After being confined to a few trips to the grocery store and to occasionally secure other essentials in the early days of the pandemic, the chance to go into nature filled us with gratitude and excitement. I also looked forward to a day of quiet reflection on how to proceed with the task of composing this work at a time when the future looked bleak—particularly for orchestras—where concert halls were shuttered and existence moved for nearly everyone into the virtual world. As we ascended into the hills that morning, I was reminded of the vital, life-giving nourishment provided by the rivers in an otherwise thirsty climate. Our route took us along the Guadalupe River, and I began to think about the hope that it has provided for generations. I thought further on the reflective nature of water, and by how looking down, one could also see reflected the limitlessness of the sky. At a moment when the entire world seemed to collapse into a downward gaze, I took inspiration from looking into the water—and by looking down, I could also look up and see the possibility of a future more limitless and promising. River of Stars is a meditation on rivers and their inherent nature that provides us a view of things as they are, and also of things as we would wish them to be.
Concert Premiere: October 7, 2021 in Kerrville, TX.