I have a file full of potential titles and one summer this file grew quite a bit as I re-read William Gibson’s classic Neuromancer. When Tammy Evans Yonce asked for a piece for glissando flute (flute with a glissando head joint) and electronics I proposed the title “Dreams Grow Like Slow Ice,” which I’m pretty sure I got from Neuromancer, and used that fragment’s imagery to guide the basic form of the piece.
A simple lullaby becomes more abstracted and frozen as glassy drones emerge in the electronics. Eventually the lullaby returns and we end in a serene but slightly dark place. Strangely enough, this is the second piece revolving around dreams which I have composed for flute and electronics. I’m not sure why that is.
This work was given its premiere performance at the National Flute Association Conference in 2013.
Download the score: Dreams Grow Like Slow Ice
Tammy Evans Yonce used this piece for her TEDx talk in Brookings, SD!