NOCTURNE for String Orchestra (2000)
(excerpt)
Night is tranquil, mysterious and beautiful. I love night because it speaks to me and leads me to a fantasy world of sound. Inspired by Gustav Mahler’s infamous Adagietto, my NOCTURNE is intensely personal, poignant and expresses heartfelt emotion. NOCTURNE was finished on July 29, 2000 and it is dedicated to Anita Denniston Bassett with my deepest devotion.
The premiere performance was in March 2001 by Indiana University Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Baldner. It was subsequently performed in March 2001 by the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Laura Jackson, and in November and December 2001 by Wayne State University Orchestra, conducted by Kypros Markou. On February 17, 2008, Fort Worth Symphony under Music Director Miguel Harth-Bedoya read NOCTURNE during the Composers Workshop Reading Session.
The public premiere performance by a professional orchestra was on April 13, 2008 by Erato Chamber Orchestra under Music Director Richard A. Haglund at the Chicago Cultural Center in Chicago, IL.
- Paul Yeon Lee