About the Music
The Wind (2018) is the result of an unusual commission by violinist Holly Mulcahy and the non-profit group Arts Capacity (artscapacity.org). I was asked to write an unfinished and untitled violin duo that would be brought to Walker State Faith and Character Based Prison in Georgia to be performed and discussed. At this remarkable prison, the inmates were invited to attend a concert and discussion with Mulcahy and duo partner, Mary Corbett. Without any information from the performers and composers, the prisoners talked openly about how each piece on the concert made them feel, and what they thought about the works. Then, in both open discussion and a written survey, they suggested possible titles and how they wanted my composition to end. They spoke of how they felt the tension of the two violins playing their own rhythms, and sometimes clashing with dissonances. The overwhelming majority of these men asked for musical resolution and emotional reconciliation. Their responses were so moving and open. I was also surprised by what insightful listeners they were—they were able to understand and discuss the structure and musical techniques, albeit without the technical language of classical music. The resulting music (after m. 64) was written afterwards with the prisoners’ comments in mind. I was seeking to reunite the two lines and create more harmonic consonance. The title, suggested by more than one inmate, resonated with me as someone who lives in the windswept plains of the high desert in Wyoming. The piece was completed in Grand Teton National Park during a residency at the University of Wyoming NPS-Research Station. – A.M. Guzzo
For: 2 violins, chamber music
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