30 June 1999
Capitol Statehouse Lawn, Madison, Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra / Harvey Felder
band arrangement
12 February 2000
In studio, Washington, D.C.
The Washington Winds / Edward Peterson
Suddenly is about the flash of pleasure one receives at the moment one turns around and suddenly sees something or someone pleasant. A work celebrating the joyous spirit and lifestyle of Madison, Wisconsin, where for several years I lived while attending University, it unfolds from three simple motivic cells. All are heard during the first few measures of the piece. The first is a group of three repeated notes in the horns and trumpets which I associate with the natural english-language speech rhythm of the word 'suddenly'. The second is a two-beat flourish in the trumpets that arrays a seventh chord. The third is a three-note gesture in the low brass comprised of the intervals of a rising fourth and a falling minor second. I have also made a version of this work for band.
Commissioned by the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra in memory of Music Director David Lewis Crosby, Suddenly was first performed 30 June 1999 at the Capitol Statehouse in Madison, Wisconsin, by the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Harvey Felder.
--- Daron Hagen, 1999
