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Orianna Webb -- List of Works
Deep in the Woods Program Note:
I wrote the poem that became the text of Deep in the Woods when I was sixteen. When I found it again, it was like opening a long-locked door into the mind of that younger person I was, and I walked through it eagerly.
I remember now that when I was sixteen I had a longing that I couldn't quite describe. There was something I wanted to be that I was not. I fantasized about meeting my alter ego.
What would she be like? She would be wild and unkempt. She would seem unpredictable and rash, but would actually be amazingly consistent because of her most important quality: she would not be hindered by fear. Instead, she would act with complete loyalty to what, if she knew or needed the word, she would call her convictions. She would have the courage to face things even wilder than herself.
What would happen when we met? I would of course be afraid; but I would gain courage from her and eventually we walk together.
Where would this meeting take place? Only deep in the lush tangle of the unconscious.
When I found the poem again, I wanted to write music evocative of both the drama and the setting of the encounter. The dark green forest, the place of dream and myth, is mentioned only briefly in the poem but is a crucial component of the action.
Deep in the Woods is dedicated to my mother, Donna Webb.
It was premiered by Amy Wallace, soprano, Orianna Webb, conductor, and musicians from the Cleveland Institute of Music.
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