FOUR LANDSCAPES

Bass/baritone, clarinet/bass clarinet, French horn, violin, viola, cello (2003)


Katherine's thesis at Williams College, Four Landscapes, takes its text from Wallace Stevens’ Six Significant Landscapes (1916). The cycle explores the theme of humanity’s interaction with nature. The first movement, “A Wind in China”, illustrates the idea of unattainable peace between man and the environment; the music is gentle, impressionistic and ethereal. In the second movement, “Reaching”, humanity’s egotism and hubristic desires are contrasted with the self-sufficiency of ants, represented by the relentless pizzicato strings. Floating hopeful melodies and triumphal praises are juxtaposed in “Dreams, Towers, Moon and Stars.” The final movement, “Rationalists”, is a rhythmic and jagged indictment of those who refuse to think creatively. The first performance was given by bass-baritone Keith Kibler and the Williams College Chamber Players.


To download a sample page from the score or listen to a recording, please see the links on the left.


To order scores or parts from the catalog, or contact Katherine Saxon with regard to a commission, please take a look at the contact page.