Into The Night Sky

Program Notes

In March 2013 I took a memorable airplane flight near the Pacific Ocean during sunset. Rising into the sky, I was afforded a miraculous panoramic view: to my left was the ocean and a glowing, orange, sky; straight in front of me were the jagged ridges of the San Bernardino Mountains; and beyond the mountains to the right, the sky was transformed into a deep, midnight, grey, with a few stars beginning to twinkle. I had the immediate urge to compose a piece of music that captured the machinistic whirring of the jet engine that stood in stark contrast to the expansive horizons before my eyes. In the piece, the music evolves slowly from the opening towards the close, representing the sense of metamorphosis I saw in the sky that night. Into the Night Sky (2013) is scored for flute, cello, and percussion. The work is dedicated to the Aspen Music Festival Contemporary Ensemble and Director Sydney Hodkinson.

- Daniel Temkin