Year composed: 1989
Duration: 10′
Instrumentation: trumpet, trombone, piano
Commissioned by Andrew Glendening
Notes:
The Coriolis effect is the physical deflection of wind (or any free-moving object) to the right of its path in motion in the northern hemisphere, and to the left in the southern hemisphere. The deviation is caused by the earth’s rotation, and is responsible for the creation of wind and water current patterns. In particular, the Coriolis effect produces the swirling patterns in cyclonic storms such as hurricanes. With hurricanes in mind, I wanted to fashion a musical shape moving in a circular direction which gradually increased in force and intensity. Each of the three sections in Coriolis has this internal design, and each section becomes progressively faster and more powerful. Interspersed throughout the piece are short segments marked “Wild”; these brief interludes are to be played freely and signify a complete breaking open of the work’s internal energy and momentum.