Composer’s Note:

In Dances of the Winter Solstice, we are presented with magic and wonder, a true mid-winter celebration. A solo clarinet invites us to the party, soon joined by the rest of the orchestra as countermelodies are woven into dense patterns of polyphonic counterpoint. The lilting main theme rollicks through the woods, transforming itself as it twists and turns, revealing unexpected delights at every turn. Joined by an intertwining countermelody, the merging patterns change into increasingly striking shapes: much like the geometry created by crystalized snow.