Resilience

for organ and orchestra

Program Note – Resilience

For most of my creative life, the organ has been a source of inspiration, not only as an architectural, acoustic, and aesthetic wonder, but also as a priceless vehicle for human expression. No instrument can boast of so much in terms of sheer dynamic and textural possibility.

Organist Paul Jacobs has advocated and raised awareness for this magnificent instrument in countless ways. His fierce devotion to commissioning American composers, championing the organ concerti of Michael Daugherty, Stephen Paulus, and Christopher Rouse, among others, has created a resurgence of interest in the organ’s expressive capacity. How honored I am to have been asked to compose a new work for organ and orchestra to be premiered by Paul Jacobs and The Pacific Symphony as part of the orchestra’s American Music Festival.

Though I had previously written for symphonic ensembles and had even collaborated with Paul on a prior work for solo organ, I had never combined these immense forces. The work would become a thirteen-minute exploration of two seemingly limitless spheres.

From the first note, the organ asserts its place of strength. The orchestra answers immediately. This use of call and response is the basis of the piece. With each subsequent statement, the organ elicits a new orchestral interlude. These replies—sometimes short, but frequently more extended, often exuberant, but at times reflective—are as wide-ranging as the organ itself.

While composing, I was always mindful that this music would be interpreted by a conductor whose commitment to new music is unlimited and by an organist whose breadth of expression, as with the King of Instruments, knows no bounds. Resilience, a title meant to convey what is among the very best qualities of the human spirit, is dedicated with admiration to Paul Jacobs and Carl St.Clair.

Wayne Oquin
December 22, 2015
New York, New York