Program Notes - De profundis ad lucem

De profundis ad lucem

composer:	Nancy Galbraith (2002)
genre:	symphony orchestra
length:	1 movement, 20:00 minutes
publisher:	Subito Music Publishing (ASCAP) 60 Depot Street, Verona, NJ 07044 973-857-3440 mail@subitomusic.com www.subitomusic.com
world premiere:	8 October 2002 Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Lucas Richman, conductor Steele Auditorium California, Pennsylvania
audio samples:	clip-A clip-B
orchestration:	3fl(pic), 2ob, 2cl, 2bn; 4hn, 3tpt, 3tbn(bs), tba; timp, 3perc, hrp, pno; strings
comments:	"De profundis ad lucem" (out of the depths towards light) was commissioned by The Fund for California University of Pennsylvania as part of the school's 150th anniversary celebration. While the composer cautions against the idea that the work is a 'symphonic poem', "De Profundis..." does reflect the mood and spirit of the magnificant bronze sculpture—"Ascent of Humanity" by Alan Cottrill—that adorns the World Culture Building on the campus.
composer's notes:	The music opens with an atmosphere of stillness, out of which two main sections emerge, one reflecting hope and the other struggle. Hope is expressed with a recurring theme that gradually layers upon itself, imparting a feeling of birth. This section suddenly gives way to struggle, represented with loud brass, biting accents, and thundering timpani figures. Following an extended musical landscape, these two sections return, only in reverse, with struggle resolving into hope. The work ends in tranquillity as it began. — N.G.
source:	nancygalbraith.com