Princesa de la Luna (2017, rev. 2019)

for Harp and String Orchestra

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Composed February 2017, rev. December 2019

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Scored for Harp and String Orchestra (min. 6/6/4/4/2).

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10 Minutes

 

Premiere:

River Oaks Chamber Orchestra; Brett Mitchell conducting - April 24, 2021

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Subsequent performances:

Oregon Mozart Players; Kelly Kuo conducting  - May 15, 2021

Reno Chamber Orchestra; Kelly Kuo conducting  - October 16-17, 2021

Drake University Chamber Orchestra; Dr. Héctor Agüero conducting  - October 30, 2021

Toledo Symphony Orchestra; Vince Lee conducting  - February 27, 2022

Manhattan School of Music Precollege Philharmonic Orchestra; Nathan Hetherington conducting  - December 9, 2023

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Program Note:

‘Princesa de la Luna’ is a portrait of a fictional princess that lives in the sky
and is only visible at night during a full moon, in the form of an adagio for harp and strings. The music illustrates the delicate and graceful features of her personality, but near the middle of the piece, the vainness in the vanity that comes with such a character as indicated by some tension in the music.

The entire piece is texture focused and explores the full colors and ranges of the string instruments as well as special effects in the harp (such as harmonics and glissando) giving the music a sparkling and shimmering feeling throughout, much like watching the stars around the moon on a clear night.