Score Samples:

I grew up in Las Vegas, and have lived in large cities for most of my life. I am deeply inspired by the many facets of living in a large city, and have created a portrait of a city at night in this new take on the nocturne for soprano saxophone and piano. From afar, the city is quiet and omnipotent. Lights sparkle and skyscrapers jut into the sky, creating a jagged landscape of steel grandeur. As we approach the city, we see and hear it come to life as cars rush down city streets and people seek their Friday night hot-spot.

Premiered by Lauren Wagner, Nightlife is a musical depiction of these two scenes, the first utilizing pandiatonic harmonies and planing Major 7th chords to create a captivating and trance-like harmonic palette, with rhapsodic passages that are characteristic of the nocturne genre. An ostinato in the piano drives the motion forward as the saxophone soars above creating a musical phrase that seems to float from one bar to the next. The second section is inspired by house music, incorporating driving beat patterns that are characteristic to this genre. The piano and saxophone begin a rhythmic hocket, building the primary ostinato, finally unleashing the primary melody in its most majestic form.