Ruminations (2015–2017)
for clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion [or solo piano] (10′)
Ruminations began as an arrangement/“reimagining” of the second movement of my violin-clarinet duo, Homage to Theft (2014). But, after spending many months working on it, I realized that the arrangement had become much too weighty to be grouped with the other, shorter movements and had actually become a fully-fledged one-movement work in its own right. However, while Ruminations is written as a one-movement work, it could just as easily be regarded as a six- (or so) movement work as it is composed of a number of contrasting “chapters” with a consistent harmonic language throughout, one based on sparse, stark dissonances.
Many, though not all, of the chapters have a “nocturnal” or “night-music” type character though Ruminations is undoubtedly NOT a nocturne.
Sam Hoyland 