Matthew Kennedy | composer
| lost!
Instrumentation: Saxophone Quartet
Duration: 6'00"
Ensemble: La'Ventus Quartet
Year Composed: 2013
Program Note:
Lost! is a collection of three miniature tone poems for saxophone quartet. The work contains religious literature references including narratives of the prodigal son’s departure (in this case, of the opposite gender), the death of King David’s son Absalom by the hands of his enemies, and lastly a dichotomous relationship between two source references: an exiled St. John going mad on the isle of Patmos and a quote from philosopher Søren Kierkegaard questioning a different kind of “wild ferment.” These four sources all struggle with the notion of loss. I began this work just as my wife and infant daughter embarked on a two month trip away from home and this idea of being “lost” and “found”—both literal and figurative—permeated my psyche while writing this work and its sister work, Found!
Part One: The Prodigal Daughter
Part Two: When David Heard Absalom Was Slain
Part Three: Only a Wild Ferment
Lost! was comissioned by La'Ventus Quartet and premiered at the 2014 North American Saxophone Alliance National Conference, Urbana-Champaign, IL.