Rise (2023)
For Orchestra
9 minutes
(2,2,2,2 2,2,1,0 Timp. 2 Perc. Harp, Solo Cello, and strings)
Commissioned by the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra for Joshua Roman. Premiered January 2023 at the Harris Theater in Chicago.
Program Notes:
Rise was the work that I wrote immediately following my brother Manuel's sudden passing. The piece is dedicated to him and it is my attempt to wrestle with the grief and rage that resulted from his death.
The work begins with a sea of music, out of which emerges the cello to ask a question. The piece continues to iterate on this question in a lyrical way, but the feelings of rage are never too far away. As the intensity rises, the cello soloist launches into a frantic cadenza that brings about a catastrophic climax. From the ashes of this music emerges the melody from the opening in the cello's lower register: an attempt at some sort of understanding of the tragedy at the center of the piece.