JWPEPPER EDITOR’S CHOICE SELECTION

Inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poem “The Snow-Storm”, “The frolic architecture of the snow” depicts a snowstorm that arrives ominously, persists in unrelenting fashion, and leaves behind beautiful sculptures of wintry art. Though its harmonies are ominous and its energy often closest to that of a moto perpetuo, there is a certain sense of light-hearted spirit and joy which permeates throughout the entire work, with brief rhythmic respites encouraging moments of peace before the tranquility left behind by the storm is finally achieved.

This piece introduces to the string orchestra the spiccato technique. Fanfare figures, which the poem likens to the sound of trumpets in the sky, depicts the arrival of the snowstorm. Trills and tremolos add to the tension of the storm and the tranquility it ultimately leaves behind, suggesting that even the darkest times can be swept away by true peace and serenity.