Searching But Never Finding (Score)

Justin Morell says: “This movement is about the questions I found myself asking after discovering that our son was facing significant challenges, especially with communication skills, and after he received the “diagnosis” of autism—one looks for explanations, but there aren’t any.”

This first variation begins with a direct transposition of the beginning of Loren’s theme, but soon becomes a collection of fragments from different parts of the melody. Piano and trumpet state the opening melody in a dialog, and so it is important that both performers connect in their interpretation. Strings are the driving force, playing primarily pizzicato throughout. The accents need to be exaggerated and the rhythm should feel always pushing forward. The middle of the movement is built around a four-measure cycle that is anchored by the guitars, with spiraling lines that climb slowly up from the basses to the high-register strings and winds, joined by the choir, all of which should collectively feel like one giant arc. The rhythm section feel in the middle portion is double-time swing. The written melodies for trumpet are quite virtuosic in the spirit of a true concerto. Percussion I is tacet.

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