gliss

GLISS (1999) Purchase Online

Premiere: August 17, 1999
Duration: 12’

Instrumentation: Orchestra [Piccolo (doubles Alto Fl.), 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, English Horn, 2 Bb Clarinets, Bass Clarinet, 2 Bassoons, Contrabassoon, 4 Horns, 3 Trumpets in C, 2 Trombones, Bass Trombone, Tuba, Harp, Piano (doubles Celesta), Timpani, 3 Percussion Players, Strings]

Program Note:
“Gliss” is the commonly used abbreviation of the French - Italian hybrid word glissando, meaning sliding. In the work, this technique of sliding from one pitch to another is woven into the sonic fabric of the piece. Part of the strangeness of the timbral world of Gliss derives from the pervasiveness of the glissandi and from their employment in instruments rarely called upon to produce them; in Gliss, these slides are required of the flutes, clarinets, and timpani no less than of the trombones and strings.

The general idea of sliding governs the structure of each of the three principle sections of the work as well; within each, ideas are presented and repeated with subtle variations. The changes in timbre, harmony and melodic material emerge gradually as the product of more minute alterations of instrumentation or of the lengthening or contraction of musical ideas.

The first large section consists of the repeated alternation of two rather simple ideas: a short glissando motive presented initially by the first clarinet, and a somewhat mechanical melodic fragment introduced by the bass clarinet. But for the intercession at two points of a third idea of chromatically shifting major triads, the two ideas are continually repeated and continuously varied. There is a gradual process of intensification throughout this section culminating in the abrupt introduction of a fast but heavy music underneath one iteration of the second idea. Orchestral outbursts cut the music off just as it has gained some forward momentum, and the slow process of intensification begins again.

The middle section of the piece is based on a slow, winding melody presented at first in the winds and punctuated by bell sounds and pizzicato strings. As in the first section, the constituent material is repeated over and over, and again the changes from one repetition to another are gradual. Here, however, the transformation is primarily cumulative: with each repetition new elements are introduced which add to the complexity of the overall sound. The tension condenses into an explosive fast music that surges and then eases its way into the final section.

Markedly shorter than the first two, the third section reintroduces material from the beginning. Rather than simply recapitulate, however, this section continues and brings to a conclusion the process of gradual transformation introduced at the outset.

– James Matheson