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The Persistence of Sunlight was commissioned by Amanda Morrison and Jonathan Helmick.
The Persistence of Sunlight takes its title from a striking image that was posted on NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day on April 25, 2026. The image is a composite of a series of pictures of the setting sun over the Mediterranean Sea, showing the sun appear to contort and deform as its light is filtered through the atmosphere. The warmth of the bright oranges and yellows is contrasted by the coldness of the dark blue water, and the array of five liquid images of the sun melting into the horizon gives the whole image a sense of surreality. Growing up on the west coast of Florida, I've watched many sunsets into the water. Observing the sun set is a rare opportunity for us to gain a new perspective of how time flows. As the sun plunges into the water, it feels like it is moving both quickly and slowly. We can see rapid changes in its position and color, while at the same time it feels as though time is holding still. Even after the sun has completely set, its warm light persists for many minutes, gradually shifting from yellow to red to deep blue.
This piece begins with a slowly awakening clarinet melody supported by glowing suspended harmonies in the brass. The expansiveness of this first section paints a scene of timelessness and warmth as the sun begins its slow and inevitable motion towards the horizon. The vibraphone contributes its delicate but luminous timbre to the texture, culminating in a continuous stream of notes that buoys yearning melodies and languishing chords.
A more angular middle section interrupts the calm. The vibraphone is played with hard mallets to create a sparkling percussive motoric rhythm and the brass instruments are instructed to make popping sounds by hitting their mouthpieces with their palms. The clarinet is more active and virtuosic, with its more angular passagework and aggressive energy representing a stark contrast to the lyricism and fluidity of the opening. At the close, the timelessness of the opening returns. At the fading of the light, the vibraphone is replaced with a much higher glockenspiel, marked crystalline, transparent, and glowing. The final notes echo the first notes and the clarinet holds the last note into eternity.
Duration: ca 10'30"
Instrumentation:
1 B flat clarinet
2 Euphonums
2 Tubas
1 Percussion: Vibraphone, Glockenspiel
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