Tesseract: Scherzo for Madeleine New Concert Work for Young Band
My absolute favorite book from middle school was Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, the classic science fiction novel from 1962. A wonderfully rich cast of characters are thrust into a world beyond their comprehension, but it is only through empathy and friendship that they are able to struggle forward. Central to the story is the fictional form of travel called the "tesseract" that involves transcending the bonds of our four dimensions to move light years in an instant. In the novel, the protagonist Meg and her companions use a tesseract to travel to the beautiful planet Uriel where they fly above powerful, centaur-like beings and confront "The Black Thing" for the first time. My composition will depict this fantastic journey across dimensions in the form of a propulsive and energetic scherzo. Opening with mysterious crystalline textures for metallic percussion and woodwinds, a powerful accelerando follows from brass and drums depict the dramatic tesseract itself. This gives way to "the flight above the centaurs" with a shift to a rollicking ostinato. After a brief terrifying encounter with "The Black Thing" the work concludes triumphantly as the journey ends for now.
Limited to 20 members and drawn primarily from the states of Colorado and Iowa
Lead Commissioner: Mary Crandell, 2023 President, Iowa Bandmasters Association
Cost per institution: $150 due by January 31, 2023
Duration: 4 minutes
Difficulty: Grade 2.5
Instrumentation: 2 Flutes, Oboe (opt.), 2 Clarinets, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon (opt.), 2 Alto Sax., Tenor Sax., Bari. Sax. (opt.), 2 Trumpets, F Horn, 2 Trombones, Euphonium, Tuba, String Bass (opt.), Percussion (5 or 6 parts including timpani)
Anticipated Completion: December 31, 2022
Commission Benefits
Performance Exclusivity through December 1, 2023
Unlimited performance rights for member institutions and associated conductors
Composer will provide up to one hour of ensemble interaction for each institution in the form of attending streaming rehearsals or verbal feedback from recordings for no additional fee.
A video introduction of the piece will be provided by the composer
Each institution will receive a bound score with inscription of the conductor's name and institution on the title page. Parts provided in PDF format.