Notes Slipped under the Dooris a very special piece which explored the delicate balance of parent-child love.  Eugenia Zukerman’s poignant and powerful text is presented in the form of notes written to a mother by an adolescent child, and delivered by slipping them under the mother’s closed door.  These five notes, each a precious gem, contain moments which are impossible to talk about in face-to-face discussions; a first kiss, feelings of abandonment, divorce, trust, self-confidence.  Through the simplicity of the texts, we become partners in this dialogue of life passages—this exhilarating explosion of life independence for the child and the wrenching letting go for the mother.  I’ve composed the music with an ear towards the new and innocent emotions of the child, giving the orchestra clean and clear textures and tempi.  I created a dialogue between the flute and soprano but while the soprano is always in direct dialogue, the flute line is a complicated blend of direct dialogue, internal reaction, supporting line and patient guide.  What a joy it has been to create a work for personal friends Eugenia and Arianna Zukerman and Don Spieth.

-Libby Larsen