Commissioned with funding from the Shifting Foundation, the piece is a suite of 11 pieces based on the poems of Richard Hugo. The instrumentation combines two of Horvitz's working ensembles, The Gravitas Quartet and Sweeter Than the Day. Each composition is inspired by a different poem of Hugo's. In its final iteration, the poems will be published in the booklet accompanying the CD. As the suite travels in the Northwest, local readers will read each poem following the performance of the corresponding piece. Many of these readers knew Hugo, and all of them maintain deep connections to the places that inspired the poet.
Richard Hugo was born in White Center, and lived throughout the Northwest before settling in Missoula, Montana. He taught poetry at the University of Montana, and is the inspiration for a plethora of writers of the west, including James and Lois Welch, William Kittredge, Frances McCue and countless others. The Richard Hugo House in Seattle is named in his memory. Hugo passed away in 1982.
Hugo loved to visit the small towns and odd places all through this part of the world, from West Marginal Way to La Push to the Union Bar Grill in rural Montana. He would sit in a café or bar for hours before he returned home to write. He was a great lover of music, and jazz in particular. It is Hugo's enduring love of music, rambling, and the places of the Northwest that inspired Horvitz's interpretation of his work, which honors and celebrates the poet's legacy.
The members of the ensemble are: Wayne Horvitz-Piano, Ron Miles-Trumpet, Peggy Lee-Cello, Sara Schoenbeck-Bassoon, Timothy Young-Guitar, Keith Lowe-Bass and Eric Eagle-Drums. The tremendous talent in the band is available for workshops accompanying the performances.
In June 2014, Horvitz traveled throughout the Pacific NW to visit a variety of places where Hugo wrote his poetry. Horvitz spent the month of August 2014, at the Sally and Don Lucas Artist Residency at the Montalvo Performing Arts Center, composing the pieces that make up the suite. The pieces include composed and improvisational elements. During the first week of 2015 the piece was rehearsed and recorded in Seattle.
The CD release is scheduled for June 2015 (Songlines) and includes a 26-page booklet with the poems, photos and an essay by the composer. The tour begins in Fall 2015 with stops including Seattle, Eugene, Portland, Helena, Missoula, and more. The tour will end with a free performance in White Center, WA, where Hugo was born and raised.