Thank you, Annette, for such a marvelous performance of "Birds in Winter." The mastery and sensitivity are both outstanding! As a thank-you, here are some notes I wrote for the piece: "My studio has large, south-facing windows and a lot of light. When I was beginning work on a new piece for my harpist friend, Rosalind Simpson, I noticed the birds outside my window as they reacted to the coming cold weather. I 'put myself inside them,' so to speak, and out came some varied and interesting emotional reactions. I see the fourth movement as the emotional centerpiece of the set. Its unrelated minor chords, tied together only with a common tone, create a sad but strangely hopeful mood." "Birds are usually among the first creatures to be affected by pollution, so I see the birds' reaction to the coming of winter as not unlike our concern over the environmental ‘winter’ that may be coming. The final movement is 'flight.'"
Dear Mr. Mauldin, Wow! It is such an honor to hear from you! I love your piece so much, and I can't believe you watched my performance!! Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing your thoughts behind the piece with me!! I actually performed this piece again (movements 1, 3, 4, and 6) for the Music Center's Spotlight competition finale performance. If you have the time, would you be willing to watch that performance as well?: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-alamTQZHuWg.html. I would love it so much if you could! Thank you so much! In the future, if you have any other pieces, I would love to play them!
