Caladrius (2018) 11'
For orchestra. 2, 2, 2(II=Bcl), 2(II=Cbn) - 4, 3, 2+bass, 1 - timp, 3 perc, hp, pf=cel, str
Performed 3/31/18 by the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. Self-published (Morningside Press, ASCAP).
Caladrius takes its name from a bird found in Roman mythology. According to legend, the caladrius could heal the sick in a rather dazzling way: Romans believed that if this bird looked directly into the face of someone who had fallen ill, it could take the illness into its own body. Then, the bird would fly skyward, higher and higher, until the rays of the sun grew strong and close enough to radiate through its body, dissolving away all illness in a bath of warm, pure light. The beauty of this imagery inspired the music in these pages, as did the hope that its affirming positivity might offer an important and welcome respite from an often unintelligible world.
Listen:
A bird flies from dark to light