ATLAS: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra

ATLAS: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra is a three-movement work inspired by the vast universe from the eyes of a curious and imaginative mind.



In Movement I, the main violin melody is broken into two sub-ideas. The first sub-idea opens the movement and carries the child-like energy throughout the movement. The second, a rising then falling gesture is varied creating different auras. Like pieces of a shattered asteroid floating in space, fragments of ideas surround the violin solo.



Movement II incorporates the idea of isolation and individuality. A single note in the harp expands with the delicate layering of the strings. This slow-motion feeling creates the effect of a lone astronaut in space. A desolate melody in the violin is echoed by different textures of the orchestra, like the astronaut seeing his or her reflection in the window amongst the stars. The two climactic moments symbolize the flight past the darkness.



Movement III has the momentum of the rotation of the earth. The main violin melody is intertwined within an oscillating pizzicato accompaniment much like the gravitational pull. A pounding gesture in the low brass and percussion defines the depths of the planet. Flowing augmented chords in the woodwinds and pizzicato in the violin represents the oceans and its many creatures. A bold restatement of the theme in the brass and the chimes exemplifies the extreme heights of the world.