Program Note:

The inspiration for this orchestral piece is Methuselah, a 4,854-year-old Great Basin bristlecone pine tree growing high in the White Mountains of Inyo County in eastern California. I came across a picture of this magnificent tree in a buddhist magazine, and was immediately struck by the awe-inspiring shape of the trunk, braided around its core and twisting upwards from the bone-dry surface of the rock-covered ground. There is hardly any surrounding vegetation, and the extreme climate — Methuselah is located around 10,000 feet above sea level — makes the tree’s longevity a true rarity.

The piece begins with a descending gesture, in the lowest range of the orchestra, depicting the roots of Methuselah. I imagine that deep under the rocky surface of the ground there must be many far-reaching roots, perhaps just as gnarled and twisted as the trunk and branches above. And from there, the consistent upward journey of the piece begins. The ensuing passages are developed from an ascending motive, which lead to a lyrical line in the solo violin. The melody lives on in the high register of the instrument, representing the precious persistence of life beneath the rock-hard, twisted bark of the tree. The piece ends with the melody dissolving in tutti chords across the orchestra. 

As I was composing the piece, I was constantly thinking about the remarkable endurance of life, a single-minded, unapologetic force whose sole purpose is to perpetuate survival in spite of all the odds. I could not help seeing parallels in various aspects of our world: the persistence of hope, the striving for advancement, and the fight for justice and betterment. Such ideals essentially sprout from the same impulse, embedded in our DNA: to thrive.

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