Program Note
Apollo Dream has a form that is fragmented and tangential in the manner of a lively REM sleep session in which experienced moments from the past and hints of moments from a possible future are integrated into a confounding surreal and subconscious present. From my own musical past the piece revisits various ideas from two movements of my bassoon concerto Apollo X, a piece that was inspired by a handful of popular songs from the 1960s and 1970s that were, in turn, inspired by the Apollo space program and the race to put a man on the moon. These ideas from Apollo X and the referenced pop songs are processed in various ways, leading to new ideas and musical places.
Apollo Dream was commissioned by Ensemble Transmission and was premiered March 21, 2014 at the Chapelle historique du Bon Pasteur in Montreal.