Swist-Cities at Twilight (SP)-V/SD/FL/CL/VN/VC/PN

I drive a lot. I drive through cities a lot, especially around twilight. Coming from a day of teaching or on the way to a symphonic rehearsal, I’ve always enjoyed the city’s atmosphere from the highway (moving or not) those precious moments before or after the next gig.

Cities at Twilight developed on such a ride through Boston. I’m full of irony, so Boston is actually not one of the cities that made the cut to the four movements of Cities at Twilight. Another irony, none of the cities that made it to a “Made in New Hampshire” concert are actually in New Hampshire.

The cities that are here are “my” cities, the cities I am intimately familiar with, both professionally and recreationally. I’m a native of Buffalo, spending many summers in New York City, moved to Connecticut, and often travel to Brazil. I love these cities and everything about them that is good, or not.

These cities also have connections to composers that have clearly influenced the material in Cities at Twilight. Hartford is Charles Ives all the way, with references to The Housatonic at Stockbridge and the general mysticism of the instrumentation. Rio de Janeiro is Tom Jobim, with such colorings as in his composition Trem de Ferro.

Buffalo draws upon the strong history of modernism present at both the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and SUNY-Buffalo, my alma mater. Lukas Foss and Morton Feldman give models here, in terms of tone saturation, but also of their tireless advocacy of new music.

Finally in New York, John Coltrane gives way to Steve Reich. It is a historical line that was drawn I believe we are still trying to figure out. There is a brief “town band” interlude that ties back to another prominent New York resident, Charles Ives.

- Christopher Swist

• Number of players: 6
• Difficulty: Advanced
• Instrumentation:
• Player 1: Flute
• Player 2: Clarinet
• Player 3: Vibraphone, snare drum
• Player 4: Piano
• Player 5: Violin
• Player 6: Cello