Performed live by the ensemble Marcus and Company at WNYC's Americathon Festival at Juilliard's Paul Hall on 2/15/88.
Marcus and Company: Susan Stenger, flute; Marilyn Gibson, violin; Joshua Gordon, cello; Yui Kwong Chung, percussion; Tom Goldstein, percussion; Sheri Bauer, piano; and Bunita Marcus, conductor
PROGRAM NOTES
When I started this work I was interested in exploring the subject of love. Adam and Eve suggested itself as a title because, to me, they seemed the perfect ‘80’s couple – two adults thrown together, mutually attracted, but without a rule book or course to follow. Although I hope the title might help engage the listener’s imagination, the work is not programmatic. Outside of the opening – where I did intentionally wish to depict the Garden of Eden as a starting point – I followed no script, nor did I consult the Bible for accurate details. My focus was primarily on exploring, via music, the human experience of love with all the tangents, diversions and complications that might arise.
Another part of this project's extensive dedication to the works of the truly great Julius Eastman, whose legend and status as one of America's major composers grows expidentially with the passing of each and every year. Gavin Hellyer
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