River Melos

River Melos was originally commissioned by, and is dedicated to, Denise Tryon, 4th Horn in the Philadelphia Orchestra. The composer also arranged the work for trombone and piano for trombonist Ava Ordman.

The River Melos (river melody) takes the form of a flowing theme in the horn and piano. Heard in the initial horn melody and the piano undercurrents, it undergoes development throughout the work and is shared between the two instruments. The work takes its inspiration from the beautiful Roaring Fork River in Aspen, Colorado, where the composer spent many summers since early days as a music festival student. The river changes size and energy, from powerful white waters into peaceful streams and deep pools, through canyons and into lakes. In River Melos, a melody winds through the smooth and rocky places, like the river, like the journey of our lives, eventually finding a spacious resting place.

The World Premiere took place on June 1, 2014 at the Dolce Wind Instrument Concert Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The U.S. premiere took place on June 15, 2014 at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, MD. Both performances featured Denise Tryon, Horn and Tomoko Kanamaru, Piano. The work was released on the CD So-Low on Bridge Records(Bridge 9455) in August, 2015 with Denise Tryon, Horn and Julie Nishimura,
Piano. The trombone arrangement was recorded with Ava Ordman, trombone for 2017 release on Blue Griffen Label.

The composer wishes to express her gratitude to Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, NY, Bob Camp in Aspen, Colorado and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts for providing invaluable time and space to create this work.