Suite No. 2 for wind orchestra

Suite No. 2 for wind orchestra is a re-orchestration of the piece Suite for a Young Man. The piece consists of five movements, played without pause. It is programmatic, telling the story of a young man. In the first movement Proud and Solemn, chordal sonorities in different rhythms and registers evoke the quiet pleasure the self-absorbed youth takes in himself. The music in The First Kiss combines tenderness and nervousness. Beginning Dance Lessons conveys the self-consciousness and frustration of youth, using surprising blue notes. The title Clusteritis constitutes a musical pun. A “cluster” is a group of tones, usually dissonant, played simultaneously; an “itis” denotes an illness. Therefore, “clusteritis” is the illness of the young man, who compulsively and awkwardly spends his time in a group of his peers. In Cotillion, an elaborate, lengthy dance, the youth integrates his entire personality in a moment of joy.