Glimpse

Glimpse, Eric Nathan (2016) 'for large orchestra Sometimes my completed pieces remain untitled for a while until the perfect title reveals itself to me, and other times it is the title that inspires the piece. In the case of “Glimpse,” it was the latter – I decided on the title months before composing any of the music. Using a lens, such as a title, poem or artwork, helps stir my creativity and focus my musical ideas. Just before I began composing “Glimpse,” I strolled in New York City’s Riverside Park and took in a “glimpse” of a scene at the park, opening my eyes for a few seconds and then closing them shut, trying to remember all that I saw and heard in that one moment. I remember a lively scene: seeing people bicycling and jogging, others standing talking on their cell phones or playing ball with their children in the grass, while the expanse of the Hudson River glistened in the sun in the background, and I heard the traffic of the busy city streets behind my shoulder. I thought o