The Gorgon’s Gaze (2020)
This piece is about one of my favorite characters in Greek Mythology: Medusa. Medusa is one of the three Gorgons, a creature cursed with snakes for hair, who can turn anyone that looks into her eyes into stone. While this piece does not tell any specific story of Medusa, it does capture the eeriness of her lair, the ferocity of battle, and a moment of reflection to a time before she was cursed.
Many of the musical themes in this piece were developed by assigning each letter of the alphabet to a different note, then spelling out certain words with the assigned notes, creating the melody. This is the case for the opening melody heard throughout the piece, spelling out “Medusa.”
I am honored to have been selected as the composer in residence for the El Sistema Oklahoma “Alegria” Orchestra for their 2020 season. The performance was postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Gorgon’s Gaze is dedicated to the ensemble and their conductor, Sydney Arrendell.
Length: 5 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate (Grade 3)
Instrumentation:
Fl., Ob., Cl. 1, Cl. 2, Bsn., Hn., Tpt., Tbn., Tba., Vln. 1, Vln. 2, Vla., Vc., Db.
Percussion (5):
Timp. (4), Xylo., Glock., Chimes, Tamb., SD., BD., Cr. Cym., Siz. Cym., Maracas.