The Solitude of Stars
VIDEO
Joseph Francavilla, piano
DURATION
5'
YEAR COMPOSED
2020
COMMISSIONER
Utah Arts Festival commissioned the original sextet.
ORDERING SCORES
Theodore Presser Company
https://www.presser.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=garrop+solitude+of+stars
PROGRAM NOTES
In 2014, I enjoyed a wonderful residence at the Ucross Foundation in Clearmont, Wyoming. Ucross is an artist colony that gives writers, composers, and visual artists the gift of time, space, and support to follow their artistic pursuits; we are provided with studio space, housing, and meals so that we can work almost continuously on our projects. I have been in residence at numerous artist colonies; however, nothing in my previous experiences prepared me for living in such isolated, wild country. Ucross is situated on a 20,000-acre cattle ranch at nearly 4,000 feet in elevation with fewer than 150 people living within the town. But what Clearmont lacks in population, it makes up for abundantly and spectacularly in wilderness and wildlife. I composed the sextet Postcards from Wyoming to portray three glimpses of what I found to be the most striking aspects of my residence.
The Solitude of Stars, the third and final movement of the original sextet, was inspired by the stunning nightly display of the heavens above. Without city lights dimming the night sky, countless stars shone brightly over the vast expanse of the prairie. In 2020, I arranged the solo piano edition for my husband, Joseph Francavilla.
-S.G.
ADDITIONAL VERSIONS
Over the course of the pandemic, I made numerous versions of The Solitude of Stars for different combinations of instruments. Several are below. For information on these versions please check my Chamber Ensembles and The Solitude of Stars art song pages.
Civitas Ensemble
"Springtime Sonder" Concert
Yuan-Qing Yu, violin, Kenneth Olsen, cello, Winston Choi, piano
"Springtime Sonder" Concert
Yuan-Qing Yu, violin, Kenneth Olsen, cello, Winston Choi, piano
Stuart-Ivanov Duo: Carolyn Stuart, violin and Svetozar Ivanov, piano
Film footage from Maya Deren's "The Very Eye of Night"
Film by Stuart-Ivanov Duo
Film footage from Maya Deren's "The Very Eye of Night"
Film by Stuart-Ivanov Duo
Robert Young, soprano saxophone
Polina Khatsko, piano
Polina Khatsko, piano
Sean Garde, alto saxophone
Casey Dierlam Tse, piano
Casey Dierlam Tse, piano
Tim Gocklin, English horn
Edward Rothmel, piano
Edward Rothmel, piano
Midori Samson, bassoon
Satoko Hayami, piano
Satoko Hayami, piano
Sarah Curtiss, flute
Joshua Tuttle, tenor saxophone
Vivian Chan, piano
Joshua Tuttle, tenor saxophone
Vivian Chan, piano
Josefien Stoppelenburg, soprano
Stephen Alltop, piano
Stephen Alltop, piano
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HELIOS • 4’30” • 2 tpts/flugelhorns, hn, tbn, tba
PROGRAM NOTES
In Greek mythology, Helios was the god of the sun. His head wreathed in light, he daily drove a chariot drawn by four horses (in some tales, the horses are winged; in others, they are made of fire) across the sky. At the end of each day’s journey, he slept in a golden boat that carried him on the Okeanos River (a fresh water stream that encircled the flat earth) back to his rising place. The cyclic journey of Helios is depicted in this short work for brass quintet. The first half is fast-paced and very energetic, while the second half is slow and serene, representing day and night.
-S.G.