Confluence

SKU: MN.12-121

UPC: 688670121210.

Confluence was commissioned by the Organ Artist Series of Pittsburgh in celebration of its twentieth anniversary in 1999. Christa Rakich gave the premier at the closing concert of the season at Calvary Episcopal Church by in April of 1999. It has been performed frequently since that time. The title was given to honor the joining together or confluence of the three rivers of Pittsburgh: the Allegheny, the Monongalela, and the Ohio. Confluence is a curious hybrid related to both the sonata and rondo forms. It is of the ABABA design with the final A quite extended by polyphonic games and a very noisy and triumphant epilogue. The first idea is driving, rhythmic, nervous and agitated. The second is quiet, gentle and pastoral, that slowly moves in its mysterious ways, closing with a plaintive row of a dozen different pitches. The composer delights in the challenge of making tone rows as approachable and sing-able as possible. Both ideas make slightly varied restatements. At the end, fugal exploitation of the first idea is followed by that row, entering with stentorian grandeur in full pedal, heralding the triumphant close. This row, like the month of March is referred to frequently as coming in like a Iamb, going out like a lion.