INTRICATELY LAID, METICULOUSLY COVERED (2012)
Commissioned by the Albany (NY) Symphony.
Premiere: May 20, 2012 at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Albany, NY
Intricately Laid, Meticulously Covered is inspired by the original ceiling frescoes of the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall that have either been painted over or remain partially exposed. An example of the latter is seen in the hall’s upper choir loft where only a portion of a much larger fresco remains visible. What is left is eerie: half of the body of a tunic-clad, barefooted Muse suspended in midair. I found this image particularly inspiring and moving.
In the late 1800s, The New York City firm, G. Garibaldi was hired to craft the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall’s frescoes. At some point, an artist or team of artists, whose name(s) I do not know, conceived of, designed, and set the Muse into plaster. In the next century, during renovations to modernize the hall, the artists’ efforts were almost completely erased from the hall. Today, what remains preserved is a kind of residue left over from a bygone era.
Instrumentation: Violin, cello, and piano
Duration: 07:00
