Maslanka, This Is The World, mvt I: Nighthawks

Performed by: Karen Beres & Christopher Hahn, piano Lance Drege & David Steffens, percussion ----------------------------------- ABOUT THE PIECE: THIS IS THE WORLD we know, the world of air and breathing and sun and beating hearts The overall feeling of THIS IS THE WORLD is one of quiet awe at the nature of our world, both the planet on which we live, and the amazing web of life that if supports -- not only that but its place, and our place in the universal web of life, the jeweled "net of Indra." I.  The Nighthawks painting of Edward Hopper is his iconic contribution to American Culture.  It is one of the favorite paintings.  It captures something absolutely fundamental about the American experience, and that is expressed probably more by the architecture of the picture -- the amazing collection of shapes, and the relationship of light to dark, especially the overwhelming darkness -- than by the unspoken "story" of the diner and the people in it.  My music expresses some aspects of my own take on the "story," especially the hidden life in the blank windows of the building in the background, but my overall composition is, as well, a parallel to Hopper's life-long preoccupation with shapes and light.  He managed to convey powerful unspoken human and universal elements through abstract forms. View more about the piece, composer and performers here: http://www.vicfirth.com/concert/large...