Solstice Ritual — Homage to Varese and Ravel

Over the past forty-five years, I have composed many works whose titles point to natural and celestial radiances: galaxy, star, sun, earth, moon, sky, light, dawn, illumination, equinox, summer, etc. One central metaphor of my life’s creative work is that of light refracting. Of interest to me, for my work, is to build, sculpt, and compose clean, clear, transparent, translucent, luminous, radiant, shining, resounding, and resonant musical materials.

Solstice Ritual for 14 virtuosi shares many of these preoccupations. The two solstices happen in June (the 20th or 21st) and December (the 21st or 22nd). These are the days when the sun’s path in the sky is the farthest north or south from the Equator. A hemisphere’s winter solstice is the shortest day of each year, and its summer solstice the longest of each year. In the Northern Hemisphere the June solstice marks the start of summer: this is when the North Pole is tilted closest to the sun, and the sun’s rays are directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer. The December solstice marks the start of winter: at this point the South Pole is tilted closest to the sun, and the sun’s rays are directly overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn. In the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are reversed.

Cultures throughout the epochs, and in all corners of planet Earth, have performed a multitude of rituals to celebrate and mark the solstices. As I composed Solstice Ritual, in my mind’s ear and eye were sonic and visual images of fourteen musicians, a conductor, and dancers, performing outdoors (if feasible) during the precise moment of a solstice. For this reason, when it is also feasible, Solstice Ritual is to be performed with dancers. Although the score took most of its inspiration from the vivid illuminations and dazzling rays of the summer solstice, at times Solstice Ritual explores contrasting materials whose shadowy character may also suggest the relative absence of light that marks the winter solstice.

A related sonic and balletic image I had when composing this composition was that of a kaleidoscopically radiant light refracting with vibrant and multi-shaped energies in a constant state of transformation. The music’s energy-flows vary and braid together musical materials that are blazing, radiant, kinetic, ritualistic, resonant, lyrical, rhythmic, reflective, fiery, avid, dynamic, effervescent, and, at times, harmonically jazz-like. The resulting labyrinth of musical interrelationships showcases the world-class musicians of AXIOM and superstar conductor Jeffrey Milarsky. Importantly, Solstice  Ritual was not conceived of as an ensemble piece. Rather, it is a score for fourteen highly virtuosic soloists.

Solstice Ritual also pays homage to the composers Edgard Varèse and Maurice Ravel, and it celebrates their imagination, joy, love, vitality, soul, energy, great chords and rich chord progressions, resonant orchestrations, tight big-band-like splash-chords, and the sheer beating-heart inner life of their music. I love all of their compositions and to give just two examples among many, Varèse’s percussion writing and Ravel’s gorgeous orchestrations have been longstanding sources of inspiration.

The eighteen-minute composition is in three parts played without a pause. The first part, “Reaching Skyward,” unfolds bell-like fanfares—with outgrowths and transformations and lasts five minutes and thirty seconds. The second part, “Solstice Rites,” consists of a series of shorter sections entitled “Drumming Ritual 1,” “Bells Recap,” “Cosmic Clock 1,” “Drumming Ritual 2,” and “Cosmic Clock 2.” These sections last six minutes and thirty seconds. The third and concluding part, “Bell Prayers,” lasts seven minutes.

Although my music is meticulously notated in every detail, I like it to sound like it was spontaneously invented—always in the act of becoming. The creative journey—not a predictable or fixed point of arrival—is, for me, essential. I dance while I compose, hoping that my music will feel organic and self-propelled. I work hard to ensure that my music too dances; I often create in my mind and ear imaginary flexible dances and ballets, poems, visual art doodles, lighting, or animations, and I love virtuosic performances that percolate and spiral with natural musicality. I draw maps of form and never follow them! Rather, I follow the music where it needs to go and then redraw the maps of form over and over and over.

Solstice Ritual is dedicated with admiration and gratitude to Jeffrey Milarsky and The Juilliard School.

Jeffrey Milarsky, Constance Volk, Andy Nogal, Katie Jimoh, Greg Beyer, John Corkill, Adam Rosenblatt, Kyle Flens, Ben Melsky, Daniel Pesca, Winston Choi, MingHuan Xu, Theo Ramsey, Doyle Armbrust, and Nick Photinos.