Arctica

Arctica was composed during December 1996 and January 1997 for Tim Hurtz and myself and is the first in a series of works that includes the electric guitar and other instruments, in this case the oboe. It is an evocation of the Arctic in winter and of the natural phenomenon that symbolize it, the Aurora Borealis, great whales and bitter cold and is divided into three movements: "Frozen Fires", "Leviathans", and "Arctica". A sense of aloneness pervades the music, as much peaceful solitude as painful loneliness. The music is therefore often spare and the timbres icy. Premiered on February 18, 1997 in the Eisenhower Chapel on the campus of the Pennsylvania State University, Arctica is dedicated to the memory of Michael Moe, who understood better than anyone.

Paul Barsom

February 1997

State College, Pennsylvania