Idée Fixe

“I have always felt comfortable writing for the orchestra. It seems counterintuitive, considering that it contains one of, if not the most amount of staves and diversity of color out of any western musical ensemble, but that is what I loved about it. I grew up around the orchestra, and to some extent, I feel like it is ‘my instrument’ (to use that cliché there). I feel one of the best examples of the way I consider and interact with the orchestra is my concerto for orchestra, Idée Fixe - which I wrote fairly quickly in the summer of 2024. The formal base of the work is in the title - it is dealing with the psychological concept of the ‘idée fixe.’ However, in the case of this work, the ‘idée fixe’ is not extramusical, but rather there is a musical ‘idée fixe’ which presents itself throughout, and is often resisted. It germinates throughout different colors and sections which also attempt to serve the purpose of showcasing the variety, subtlety, and to some extent the virtuosity of the orchestra. There are also other persisting musical ideas that are less obvious, but still permeate throughout the work as well.”