On the celestial hierarchy
In composing this piece I tried to explore—in a more comprehensive way than in my previous works—the stratification of music-perceptual layers;
by "layers" I don't mean polyphonic treatment of textures or voices but rather a gestalt of distinct musical
objects, each with its own historical identity. It was my hope that the various layers would interact in a
novel way in the mind of the listener; for example, if attention is focused on the piano in the opening section, then the materials performed by the
other instruments should serve to subtly obscure its clarity while simultaneously yielding gentle sympathetic resonances which are not entirely
stylistic incongruent. Conversely, if the listener focuses on the cello in the same opening section, then the piano along with the viola, violin
flute & clarinet should likewise act as subordinate accompaniments that respond in sympathy. In other
words, each layer can serve as a perceptual "foreground," if the listener's ear chooses to focus on it, or as a component of
the "background" if attention is drawn elsewhere.
Frequent reference is made to tonality in this work. In our innermost ear, when we reminisce about music we have heard in the past, we find that
the material being recalled has been flattened, dispossessed of its timbral brilliance; and at the same time, intruding elements swirl around,
obscure, and make our internal playback non-linear. As with a number of my works, this piece is also an attempt to "orchestrate" this process of inner listening,
of the act of recalling music heard long ago.