absolutely relatively fabulous

I am busily getting my Aviary Corridor (see post below) for performance, and the conductor wants me to lower the dynamics of the flute in the higher parts so it will balance with the voice. That got me wondering - are dynamics just absolute values and the performer will play loud, or will the performer adjust his dynamic relative to the rest of the group? I realize that I am playing a bit of the devil's advocate here - a performer would certainly know what to do. But what about if the piece (as per usual) doesn't get enough rehearsal for the group to become familiar with everything in the piece? What do you do as a composer? Do you just not worry about this, or do you try to balance your dynamics by using different markings throughout?

Over and Under

Just published by www.prbmusic.com. An early music group in England, the Palladian Ensemble, wanted a piece to follow their arrangement of a Bach trio sonata, and I happily obliged. It's a chaconne with alto recorder, violin, baroque guitar and bass gamba.

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On Wednesday, April 25, 2007 at the North Creek Event Center in Bothell, Washington, there will be a performance of my Aviary Corridor (soprano, flute, string quartet and piano), with poetry by Charles Alexander. The poem, according to the poet


"was written as a kind of response to an outdoor site-specific installation by artist Cynthia Miller (my wife) at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. In the installation, painted sticks, beads, hanging hoops, and other objects were placed along a walkway in the gardens. These objects were in bushes, in branches of trees, and along a wooden fence. In a way they were very unobtrusive, and one could conceivably walk along and not notice them at all. But if one began to notice, then more and more would be seen. When installing the work, soon after hanging a red hoop in a tree, a hummingbird came and flew through the hoop. "

You can see more about it here. And here is a program for the arts series at the University.