"The waves roll on, thundering and shimmering," is a
particularly vivid line from Fedor Tyutchev's (1803-73) poem
The
Last Love. In The Last Love, Tyutchev equates the sea to the
"boundless and free" afterlife, where it is "bathed in dim
radiance...in the solitude of night." Using that image as my
impetus, I created a motive with a very simple contour that
reflects the ebb and tide motion of the sea, as suggested by
Tyutchev. My motive then served as my melodic, rhythmic, and
formal guide. Commissioned by the
Studio for New Music Ensemble at the
Moscow Conservatory. The work is dedicated to
Vladimir Tarnopolski.
