PROGRAM NOTE

This work is inspired by the depiction of the god Shiva as the cosmic dancer (Nataraja) who performs the divine dance to destroy a weary universe in preparation for the god Brahma to start the process of creation. The work is in two movements and represents the two most common forms of Shiva’s dance. Lasya (the gentle form of dance), associated with the creation of the world is an Adagio that is meant to express the deep enigmatic gestures of the dancer and progressively harkens the coming end of the current world in hope of beauty for the new. Tandva (the violent and dangerous dance), is the cosmic dance associated with destruction of the weary universe. A quickly paced scherzo-like dance, it moves through different styles of music, from disco to gigue as way to express the universal and cosmic ramifications of the dance. It is a visceral and violent movement with a trajectory of peace and harmony at its conclusion. 

Winner of the 2014 Castleton Festival Composers Forum

Selected for the 2014 Albany Symphony American Music Festival

PERFORMANCE HISTORY

July 13, 2014: Castleton Festival Orchestra, conducted by Vlad Vizireanu

May 15, 2014: Albany Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Alan Miller (Reading)