Theurer, Britton - Colloquy for Brass Quintet

Colloquy for Brass Quintet presents three conversational settings: performers persuading listeners, performers in harmony, and performers on the warpath. The first, Exhortation, argues earnestly that dissonance and rhythmic uncertainty can be partners in an ultimately cohesive if unsettling musical experience. The second, Concordance, is a consonant, fast-forward view of the opening and closing of a flower, perhaps a morning glory. Balance, subtlety, simplicity, and a splash of metallic color from the harmon mute hopefully produce a sense of warmth and contentment. The final, Paroxysm, uses material from the coda of Exhortation in an explosion of unbending rhythmic and virtuosic intensity. This is an exploration of the energy of anger without the violence.