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Night Ceremonies, completed in January, 1979, has been described by one reviewer as "a major work that may be thought of in terms of a combination symphony and concerto for orchestra".  While the title is somewhat suggestive, the composition is essentially non-programmatic with night sounds or images expressed only in very abstract terms.

In the first movement, a major aspect is the progression from a sense of pulseless, floating motion to an ever increasing and heavily accented rhythmic emphasis.  In this context, the design of the movement can be delineated into three major sections and a brief coda which may be described as follows:

(1) a slow, rhythmic section that is characterized by a gradual thinning of the texture associated with a gradual rise from mid-range to high tessitura;

(2) a fast section with more, yet still minimal use of pulse and accentuation while the tessitura spreads to include the high and middle orchestral range;

(3) while continuing in the faster tempo, a marked increased in pulsive accenting occurs with the entire orchestral range being exploited.

The coda manifests a ritardation of motion in the upper register with a return to the floating nature of the first section.

The second movement is a classically structured three-part form, A B A.  The 'A' theme is an axial type, pivoting around the interval of a minor third.  Opening with a statement in the extreme upper register of a solo oboe with octave lower doublings played by the flute and alto flute, the theme moves on a descending path featuring the timbral variety of the wind instruments.  The 'B' section is scored for string orchestra only with an extremely long, chromatic melodic line played by unmuted first violins with the other strings (muted) moving chromatic clusters contrapuntally.  The 'A' returns with an extended statement by the full orchestra.  The movement closes quietly with fragments of the theme alternating between English horn and alto flute, accompanied by harp, tambourine, and maracas.

While the first and second movements features some soloistic and virtuosic scoring, the third movement requires all the families of the orchestra to perform some very challenging passages.  One primary thrust of the final movement is the employment of three major increases of tempi which lead to the climax of the composition.

In addition to the above mentioned characteristics in the three movements, there exists the common threads of interval connections, types of rhythmic units, and related speeds of various tempi which, hopefully, integrate the movements. --Frederick Fox

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