Tchaikovsky's Lover 

2014

Duration 11'
Instrumentation flute, Bb clarinet, vibraphone, piano, soprano, violin, viola, cello
Premiered February 2014, Lightsey Chapel: Charleston, SC - Contemporary Collaborations Ensemble
Text Kathleen Powell

I think of you when it rains. When all the beauty and sadness in the world come together and wash us all away. When the water comes and fills the streets and I can see the dirt and filth about my feet. When isolation is the only thing keeping us all together. That’s when I remember you.

I think of you when the low brass clashes. When the maestro incites rubato and the music sways. When the bold and the confident are halted by a poised conductor’s hand. When all that’s left is what you feel and the notes are all that matter. That’s when I remember you.

I think of you when the moon is clouded over. When its light gets muddled and hung up in the clouds. When Earth can’t see in the darkness and all the light is gone. That’s when I remember you.

I remember the way you. And how you. And everything you. And when you. And then we. But we never. And how I. And how I didn’t. But I’ll never forget the way you left. That’s how I remember you.