Robert G. Patterson: Exits and Entrances (2020)
Daniel Gilbert, violin; Tomasz Robak, piano
I. Where Joy Most Revels
II. The Silence of Innocence
III. Such Heavenly Touches
IV. Though But Little, Fierce
V.
A Better World Than This
Exits and Entrances was commissioned by Michael Gilbert for his family (all violin players) and especially for his nephew Daniel Gilbert to premiere. Composed at the height of the 2020 pandemic, the piece started out as meditations on the five failed quests of the suitors described in the Japanese folk tale, Kaguyahime no Monogatari, “The Tale of the Moon Princess.” However, due to the difficult emotional period of the pandemic, the ideas quickly morphed into musings on how life changes through the years and how our friends enter and exit the different stages of it. This led to the Shakespearian titles and an abandonment of the association with Kaguyahime. Perhaps that connection will emerge again in another piece.– Robert G. Patterson |