Notes by the composer: “This piece is more like an impromptu road trip where you go to different places with a determined aimlessness.” -Thomas Little

Inscriptions from the Book of the Dead
Passage through the Netherworld
The Hall of Judgment
The Field of Reeds

Program notes: The ancient Egyptian empire began around 3100 B.C. and continued for over 3000 years until Alexander the Great conquered the country in 332 B.C. Over the centuries, the Egyptian empire grew and flourished into a highly developed society. They invented hieroglyphics, built towering pyramids (including the Great Pyramid of Giza, the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the World), and the created many household items we still use today, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, eyeliner, black ink, and the forerunner of modern-day paper.

Included among their achievements were a series of highly developed funerary practices and beliefs in the Afterlife. As the average lifespan of an Egyptian hovered around 30 years, living past the death of one’s physical body was a legitimate concern. Egyptians believed that upon death, their souls would undertake a harrowing journey through the Netherworld. If they survived the horrific creatures and arduous trials that awaited them, then their souls would be reunified with their bodies (hence the need to preserve the body through mummification) and live forever in a perfect version of the life they had lived in Egypt. To achieve this, Egyptians devised around 200 magical spells and incantations to aid souls on the path to the Afterlife. These spells are collectively called The Book of the Dead. Particular spells would be chosen by the family of the deceased and inscribed on the tomb’s walls and scrolls of papyrus, as well as on a stone scarab placed over the deceased’s heart. Subsequent collections of spells and mortuary texts, such as The Book of Gates, assisted a soul in navigating the twelve stages of the Netherworld. Not only did these spells protect and guide the soul on this dangerous path, but they also served as a safeguard against any unbecoming behavior an Egyptian did while alive. For instance, if a person had robbed another while alive, there was a spell that would prevent the soul’s heart from revealing the truth when in the Hall of Judgement.

Rites for the Afterlife follows the path of a soul to the Afterlife. In Inscriptions from the Book of the Dead (movement 1), the soul leaves the body and begins the journey, protected by spells and incantations written on the tomb’s walls. In Passage through the Netherworld (movement 2), the soul is now on a funerary barque, being towed through the Netherworld by four of the region’s inhabitants. We hear the soul slowly chanting incantations as the barque encounters demons, serpents, crocodiles, lakes of fire, and other terrors. The soul arrives at The Hall of Judgment in movement 3. Standing before forty-two divine judges, the soul addresses each by name and gives a “negative confession” connected to each judge (i.e. “I did not rob,” “I did not do violence,” and so on). Afterwards, the soul’s heart is put on a scale to be weighed against a feather of Ma’at, the goddess of truth. If the heart weighs more than the feather, it will be eaten by Ammut, a hideous creature that lies in wait below the scale, and the soul will die a second and permanent death (this was the worst fear of the Egyptians). But if the heart is in balance with the feather, the soul proceeds onward. The final stage of the journey is the arrival at The Field of Reeds (movement 4), which is a perfect mirror image of the soul’s life in ancient Egypt. The soul reunites with deceased family members, makes sacrifices to the Egyptian gods and goddess, harvests crops from plentiful fields of wheat under a brilliant blue sky, and lives forever next to the abundant and nourishing waters of the Nile.

Danzón no. 6 (Puerto Calvario) composed by Arturo Marquez in 2001, is part of Arturo Márquez’s cycle of 10 danzones, in which the composer explores this traditional genre from a personal and contemporary perspective. The work was originally conceived for accordion and strings; however, its most widely performed and formalized version is written for soprano saxophone and strings. Unlike other works in the series, Danzón No. 6 shows a strong influence of the tango, perceptible both in certain rhythmic elements and in its overall atmosphere. This influence results in a more melancholic and nostalgic character, with moments of introspection that evoke an almost sorrowful feeling, distancing the piece from the festive tone traditionally associated with the danzón. In this way, Danzón No. 6 stands out within the cycle for its expressive depth and restrained lyricism, offering a vision of the danzón as a space for memory, emotion, and contemplation, while maintaining its rhythmic identity and its connection to Latin American popular music.

I. Prelude
IV. Rigaudona

Program notes by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra: “Le Tombeau de Couperin had begun as a six part piano suite to celebrate the age of François Couperin, found its final publication with a front page featuring a draped funeral urn. Each movement was dedicated to a friend who had died in combat. The title Tombeau, meaning tomb, also referencing a French musical term from the seventeenth century which meant “memorial.”  Traditionally, a tombeau as a tribute work referred only to one person. The four movements of the orchestral suite are Prélude, Forlane, Menuet, and Rigaudon.  This version premiered in Paris on February 28, 1920, performed by the Pasdeloup Orchestra, with Rhené-Baton conducting. Roland Manuel wrote, “This metamorphosis of piano pieces into symphonic works was a game for Ravel, a game played to perfection, so that the transcription outdid the original….It is a work of extreme economy.” The energetic Prélude moves gracefully in perpetual motion, with sixteenth notes grouped in triplets. It was dedicated to the memory of Lieutenant Jacques Charlot. The concluding, vivacious Rigaudon is dedicated to the brothers Pierre and Pascal Gaudin, who died on the first day of their service on the front in 1914.  The dance, in 4 duple meter, originated in Provence in the seventeenth century.  It was characterized by hopping steps and became very popular in the French courts.  The title Rigaudon has been attributed to the inventor Rigaud, a French dancing master from Marseille.”

Program notes by the composer: “Nataraja was commissioned by and dedicated to the Solstice Reed Quintet. I am deeply grateful for their request and for championing my music. Nataraja is a representation of Shiva, a principal Hindu deity, as the Lord of the Dance or King of the Dance. "Nataraja" comes from the Sanskrit words Nata, meaning "act, drama, dance", and Raja, meaning "king" or "lord." In traditional iconography, Nataraja/Shiva is depicted in a cosmic dance that sets the rhythm of life and death. This dance occurs within a circular or cyclically closed arch of flames which symbolically represent the cosmic fire that in Hindu cosmology both creates and consumes everything. The fire also represents the evils, dangers, heat, warmth, light and joys of daily existence. My composition is cast in a single movement as a slow introduction, theme, five variations, and a coda. The music is simultaneously vigorous and sensual, drawing inspiration from Bartok's string quartets and neo soul.”