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Programme Note

Premiere:
June 10, 2008
Crash Ensemble
Alan Pierson, conductor
Dublin, Ireland

Composer note:
I wrote a melody that I really liked. It seemed to go on forever, never repeating exactly, never locating in a particular place, never giving away too much about its shape, or where it came from, or where it was going. Then I started asking myself — what would happen to this irregular, free flowing tune if it was superimposed over other more regular elements? How much regularity would have to be added before the piece changed its character entirely? How much of a march rhythm, for example, would have to be added before the perception of the piece changed from odd melody to ordinary march? I wrote this piece to find out. forced march is dedicated to Donnacha Dennehy, after Samuel Beckett my closest friend in Ireland.

— David Lang