New Year's

duration

9:00

instrumentation

For alto flute, mezzo-soprano, piano, and vibraphone

premiered by

Lindsey Goodman and ASS3MBLY

commissioned by

Lindsey Goodman and ASS3MBLY

premiere date:

May 5, 2014

Contact for Score

About

New Year’s is a work based on a set of three haiku that all relate to ideas about the beginning of a new year. Similar to the nature of each haiku, the movements in this piece are short, possess a simple musical language, and present a brief statement of only two or three different ideas. The titles of each movement were based on the translation of the first line of each haiku:

Listen and View Score

I. A Watching Crane
II. On New Year's Day

Poem

I.  A Watching Crane

A watching crane                      Mi-hari tsuru

Whoops far and wide               Yo-ake to tomo ni

As the dawn approaches.        Naki wataru

– Miura Yuzuru

II. On New Year’s Day

On New Year’s Day                   Ganjitsu ya

The mountains brighten         Yama ake kakaru

In the snow.                               Yuki no naka

– Muro Saisei

Read a Review

“'On New Year’s Day' started with her beautiful solo on the alto flute braced by more animated, chilly music from percussion and piano. Stem showed he can write a limpid melody. His slightly tart, yet tonal harmonies were perfectly suited to a text that included the line 'Of a single frosty rose.'

David Williams, Charleston Gazette-Mail, Charleston, WV; October 30, 2014. Read Review

Buy on Album