Frozen Lightning

Preview Score

Program notes: “Frozen Lightning” was commissioned and premiered by Grant

Westerman. The piece was inspired by my memories of living in Minnesota when I

was younger and occasionally seeing lightning strike during a blizzard. The initial

experience felt unreal and I remember watching the sky for several minutes afterward in

order to make sure that what I saw was real. The piece starts with a very dreamy

opening and utilizes the sounds of a blizzard that I recorded from my backyard. The B

section represents the energy and wonder that I experienced as a child, seeing

lightning strike in the middle of a blizzard. As the piece continues it represents the

waning excitement that I felt while I waited for the lightning to strike again until I was left

wondering whether it even happened in the first place. The cadenza symbolizes my

determination to see the lightning strike again despite my doubts eventually leading to

the F section where the lightning strikes one more time. G to the end of the piece

represents the content daze that I was in after finally seeing the lightning again as I

continued to watch the snowfall.