Thirty-three Years (2017)

about

"It wasn't three days. Three years have passed!"

Thirty-three Years is a piece strongly inspired by Stravinsky's L'histoire du soldat. It is an imagining of the title character's life 33 years after Stravinsky's actual tale ends. This number directly references the story told in L'histoire: the first time the soldier is tricked by the devil, he realizes he has lost three years of his life. In my version, 33 years have now passed.

This piece isn't intended as another story about the soldier, but rather an illustration of what might be his thoughts, memories, and regrets as a now older man. The piece is about what I imagine these memories to be and thus uses many musical elements from Stravinsky's score: some obvious and some hidden.

Commissioned by Elevate Ensemble.

instrumentation

Clarinet, Bassoon, Trumpet, Trombone, Percussion, Violin, Double Bass

duration

ca. 14 minutes

performances