About this Piece

Rubispheres is a series of suites written for various combinations and voices that depict urban life and landscapes of the world. The first suite of the series features wind trio (flute, clarinet, and bassoon), with outer movements that were written for selected virtuoso members of Imani Winds, each composed over the course of five years. The first movement, entitled DROM, was written first and was named after a bar on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where a local new-music organization invited me to perform on its annual “Composers Play Composers” marathon. The movement starts with a traditional form of communication called “call and response” between bassoon solo and the entire ensemble. This call-and-response notion carries throughout the movement in a playful fanfare between flute and clarinet, ending strong with all instruments sounding off together in their extreme registers. The second movement, Serenade, was written last and was intended to break up the intense groove energy of the outer movements. The piece, however, developed in quite an unusual way. As a new mother, I found that composing while caring for my newborn presented quite a challenge. It was in that moment while stressing out over writer’s block and deadlines when infant Lisa began to wail out of need for attention. While comforting her in one arm, I felt tenderness for her in that moment suddenly created a headspace of unexpected serenity that allowed me to finish the movement—in one sitting with my free hand. Serenade is a lullaby dedicated to Lisa Naomi Page. The final movement, Revival, draws a parallel between the discovery of creative energy with the fervor of old Southern baptisms held down by the river. There is a spiritual renewal that occurs within a revival, full of shouts and dancing; the vigorous riffs and “punk-tuations” drench the old-school memory with a modern youthful sound. As doublings leap and shift within the orchestration of a simple composite melody, I felt motivated to reshape and mold the often negative narrative of woodwind chamber music into one that is relevant to today; a sound that is nontraditional, substantial, virtuosic, and ALIVE!

—Valerie Coleman