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Call & Echo is based on the calls and songs of the Hermit Thrush, which are incredibly intricate and have inspired composers long before this project. Their calls start with a held tone, but then evolve into these amazing, sparkling harmonic echoes really resonated with me. I chose not to mimic the literal call or song, but instead to expand on their structure: the opening introduces tones closely related to the inflections and arpeggios of the bird call, but then uses the echoes as a way to venture outwards, capturing the beauty and mystery of their language. This exploration builds to a special moment when the cello sound finally (and rather dramatically) opens up, revealing a rich, resonant, and intimate re-visiting of the opening material.
-Brandon J. Rolle