Orbits is adapted from a movement from an orchestral
piece, Moon Cycles. In the
movement in question, called The Lunar Dance, my inspiration came from the
revolution of the moon around the earth; hence the title of this work. In the celestial ballet, the
dance of the moon around the earth is certainly a speedy one, and, I think, a playful one,
too.
Orbits is a fast scherzo in 6/16 with occasional metric syncopations
in 3/8. Laid out in an arch form, the piece divides into seven sections: ABCDCBA. The A
sections, which act as introduction and coda, fragment and mix together the material of the
other parts of the work, particularly music from sections B and C. The dynamics remain soft
throughout, with silence used a number of times.
The B sections are set up palindromically, although the relationship is not exact; the second B
leaves out some material that is heard the first time, and there are small alterations, particularly
in ordering of notes and measures. Like A, the initial B includes some hints of music that are
important to other parts of the piece (the C and D sections). (The second B section does not
contain the D material.) A three note ostinato dominates the entire section.
The third and fifth parts of the piece (C) are high and soft, with a nearly constant sixteen-note
patter. The middle section (D) divides into three parts, mirroring the structure of the piece as a
whole. The outer sections are loud (in contrast to the preceding music), with lower registers
exploited, although the entire spectrum is used. There are more metric changes here than
anywhere else in the piece.
Most of the sections are separated by silence (or near silence); perhaps this is the cold silence
of dividing space.