Forgotten at Dawn . . .

(1994), for flute, clarinet, violin, and cello. 10 minutes.
Commissioned by the Madison Chapter of the Wisconsin Alliance for Composers.

Forgotten at Dawn . . . refers to the sensation of waking from a dream unable to remember what the dream was about. The piece is a theme with four variations, or “not-quite-remembered repetitions.” Between each variation is a solo for one of the instruments and a rhythmic exploration of harmonies based on the theme. This work was commissioned by the Madison chapter of the Wisconsin Alliance for Composers for the “99-cent Concert Series.”

The audio excerpts below feature the Oakwood Chamber Players. Forgotten at Dawn . . . has been recorded by the Los Angeles New Music Ensemble for their forthcoming CD on Centaur Records.

Forgotten at Dawn . . ., by David Drexler, is scored for flute, clarinet, violin, and cello and was by far the most successful work on the program. It subtly melded harmonic, rhythmic and soloistic elements--including some first-rate playing--into an impressive structure of about 11 minutes' duration. (Jess Anderson, Isthmus, January 13, 1995.)

It's too nice. Sometimes you have to be a prick about these things. (Fred Kauffman, Florida International University)

[score] PDF score (231 KB).

Audio excerpts:
[sound] MP3 recording (5.48 MB).

[download mp3]

Full recording: