Piccolo, Flute, Oboe, English Horn in F, 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons, 2 Horns in F, 2 Trumpets in C, Percussion, Strings

Composed May-July 2008, Lambertville, NJ

Color and Light

the Riverside Symphonia, with a Project Serving Artists Grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts

Riverside Symphonia, Mariusz Smolij, Music Director. Lambertville, NJ, October 3, 2008.

I composed “Color and Light” in response to the beautiful landscape paintings by the artists who create and exhibit their work in and around the river town of Lambertville, New Jersey, where I live. I was drawn to the various color theories used by the local artists, who capture subtly shifting moods and tones using a series of layers. The outer sections of “Color and Light” are built from a gently falling 2-chord progression, at times layered over itself. In the central section of the piece, the english horn extends the 2-note falling motive into a melodic line, like a figure exploring a landscape.

-- Robert Maggio