Program notes:

In writing Embers of Agni, I tried to create a work that is spirited, even playful, but at the same time possess a certain serenity and mysticism. Knowing that it would receive its premier in Vermont, I was drawn to think about the fireflies, or lightning bugs, that are common there during the summer. Having never seen one in person, and being intrigued by them, I looked to the fireflies and their environment as a starting point for the composition of the piece. As my mind wondered, I developed an imaginary mythology dealing with the origin of fireflies; that the glowing embers of a fire, as they slowly float up through the air, are suddenly transformed into a living firefly. The firefly continues to glow as the ember had before, but now moves and flashes at its own will- and flies away into the humid night.

Some of these images appear directly in the music, such as the quick exchanges between the flute and clarinet that to me are reminiscent of the “flash signals” that fireflies send each other. The spirit of fire itself pervades the piece; sometime it is a vibrant, crackling fire, only to then be suddenly tempered to a calm, glowing bed of embers.