LEGEND

Occasionally, upon completion of a new composition, the name of the piece will still remain a mystery to me. In that situation, what I have found is that if I listen to the work several times with the intent of finding a title, a word or phrase will eventually reveal itself that crystalizes the intent of the music. This was how Legend was named.
So, what is the intent of this music? Simply, it is a narrative, a story. There are characters and action. There are multiple moods with conflict, introspectiveness, playfulness and triumph. There is even a sense that at the end, the story could continue beyond the music. So what is the story exactly? It is whatever the listener chooses it to be.

OUTBURST

Outburst for wind ensemble was commissioned by the North Jersey Area Band. It was written during the summer of 2006 and premiered at Randolph High School on January 14 at the 2007 NJAB Festival Concert. The Wind Ensemble was lead by Dr. Willis Rapp. Outburst, a single movement, six-minute composition begins with a syncopated figure in the suspended cymbal that is the backbone of the entire work. The energy which is hinted at comes to full realization at the end of the piece through a series of musical vignettes that are “quick-cut” to create gradually increasing tension that leads to a final exuberant celebration.