Programme notes:

I tend to write families of pieces in which I explore similar melodic and structural ideas. One such family of pieces started as a programmatic depiction of the different stages of a fire: I originally envisioned a violin being played with such speed and intensity that sparks came flying off the bow, thereby igniting its wooden body, and bursting the instrument into dancing flames. The first composition in this family of pieces was titled Burn. It was scored for string trio, and it was truly intense. Bolstered by the success of Burn, I scored my next piece for violin solo and large string orchestra, thinking that with so many string instruments gathered together all at once, and all of them playing with such great ferocity, I could create not merely a small fire (such as in the string trio), but a blazing sea of flames. I aptly titled this piece Ablaze. Unfortunately, the piece lay neglected in my desk drawer for several years after completion, until violinist Jeffrey Lee suggested that I re-orchestrate the work for a smaller force. I set about this task, changing very little of the orchestra’s musical content, and indeed leaving the violin solo’s pyrotechnics completely intact. The result was a work which was practically identical to Ablaze in mood, but quite different in timbre. Since the new work had arisen out of the residue of Ablaze, I titled it Ashes. Being, basically, one and the same composition, however, Ashes is, despite its title, actually a roaring fire. Ashes is dedicated to Jeffrey Lee on the occasion of his 40th birthday and to Buck and Louise Nelson. Daniel Nelson