This is the first of seven works I presented on May 7, 2006 for my Stanford University Senior Composition Recital. The concert was at 2:30 PM in Campbell Recital Hall. Performers featured include:

Jake Smolowe, piano
Gabe Davis, bass
Mitchell Wilcox, drums
Jonathan Liang, trumpet
Anthony Diamond, alto sax

Notes:

I wrote this piece at the midpoint of a 3-year long-distance relationship, but the piece captures more than just a romantic longing. It embodies the yearning I feel for friends and family members that I’ve lost, and because loss is a part of life, it remains current for me, and continues to be a favorite of mine to perform.

For this piece I used a 20-bar AAB form, with dark, moody A-section and a bridge that features repeated call-and-response cries of anguish. The form ends with a plaintive 2-bar tag, reflecting acknowledgement of the transience of life, but I end the piece by repeating the tag three more times, to reflect a difficulty to let go even in the face of a hard truth.

- Jake