VAST takes its name from several places. The first is the RAV Vast drums built in Perm, Russia by RAV labs. These “Vast” drums are made of tempered steel, have the sustained resonance of a closed hang drum, the crisp articulation of a tongue pan drum, and are tuned in just intonation. The result is a highly resonant instrument that makes sounds that both stimulate the mind and relax the body. I thought it would be interesting to try to capture the sonority of these drums with a wind ensemble. When I got to planning, I thought it would be ironic to call the work “Vast” but have it say a lot in a short time. The result is an interesting meditative groove that emulates the breath work done in yoga accompanied by emotional melodic gestures.

I wrote this work during one of the most emotionally turbulent periods of my life. I found my thoughts circling the emotional vastness of the human experience. Our consciousness is caught in the middle of understanding that we all will live and die. In striving to find balance in this juxtaposition of chaos and order we experience fear, shame, anger, and grief but also hope, compassion, joy, meaning, and love. In VAST I tried to create music that pulls the listener into the moment and invites them to dwell on both how long and short each second of this life is.