The Sagittarius was commissioned by 2015 Sound Ways Festival in Saint
Petersburg, Russia. It is in essence variations on Karlheinz Stockhausen's
"Sagittarius" from his "Zodiac" ("Tierkreis;" 12 short movements written
originally for a music box set 12 zodiac signs), an open-instrumentation work
that can be played in any version by any ensemble or soloist. When I was asked
to write a piece based on Sagittarius, I had an idea to use as a framework for its
form and instrumentation the pattern of alternating meters found in the original
piece (5/4, 6/4, 7/4, 4/4, 3/4, 1/4, 2/4, 8/4). This metric pattern is retained in each
variation (except for the aleatoric one), and the instrumentation/density of chords
in each variation matches the upper number of the meter.
This work can be paired in performance with the original piece by
Stockhausen, to show its direct connection.

The Sagittarius was commissioned by 2015 Sound Ways Festival in Saint
Petersburg, Russia. It is in essence variations on Karlheinz Stockhausen's
"Sagittarius" from his "Zodiac" ("Tierkreis;"