About Birches

Birches is a piece that I sketched out in 2005 for cello and double bass.  This piece was based on the poem of the same name by Robert Frost.  I used lines or phrases from the poem as movement titles.  Each movement was composed to reflect the imagery or mood of the title.  Birches was going to be an eleven movement piece. The complete list of movement titles are listed below.  This piece was to be dedicated to a friend of mine as this is one of her favorite poems.

Shortly after completing the sketch of the score I decided not to finish this project.  There are a few reasons for this, but for the most part I felt as if the sketch needed substantial revision.  Since there was no time line for a performance and I had other projects with performance opportunities, I set Birches aside.

I have thought about this piece off and on for a while, trying to think of ways to revive and revise this piece.  However, I have never had that spark of an idea to motivate myself to resume work on this sketch, until now.  I think that this new collaboration with Micheal Vickers is a prime opportunity to revise and expand parts of this sketch.  The primary revision and expansion will come from the addition of piano to the ensemble.

Birches - movement titles
1. Birches bend to left and right
2. Sunny winter morning
3. After a rain
4. They click upon themselves
5. Crystal shells
6. Shattering and avalanching
7. Inner dome of heaven
8. Trunks arching in the woods
9. Dream of going back to be
10. A pathless wood
11. Not to return