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You Never Know (2003) Duration: 10' 30" Instrumentation: mandolin, guitar Alternate Versions: flute quartet: 2 C flutes, alto, bass (2003), violin and guitar (2004), flute and quitar (2004) Availability: published by Grenzland-Verlag www.grenzland-verlag.de (Hauptstrasse 6, D-52066 Aachen, Germany) Recordings: no commercial recording (archival recording available for audition) Program Notes: In early September 2001 my only sibling and older brother, Douglas, unexpectedly passed away after suffering a major illness. The next morning, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 occurred. It was a very difficult week. More than a year passed before my feelings and emotions over these events had been reconciled to the extent that I could express any of my own sorrow and distress. As I started working on this piece, the wife of my oldest grade-school friend abruptly died after a very brief illness. You Never Know was not meant to be so much an homage or a tribute, but rather a simple and candid expression of musical thought as I struggled through my own experience with these events. It is also not meant to be wholly dark, somber, or morbid. In fact, there are sections in You Never Know that are joyful, light, and full of positive hope for the future. You Never Know was written upon request by duo Ahlert-Schwab. First Performance: Daniel Ahlert (mandolin) and Birgit Schwab (guitar) on July 31, 2004 in Herongen, Germany. Other Performances: Daniel Ahlert (mandolin) and Birgit Schwab (guitar) on February 6, 2011 in Bochum, Germany. |