The Stars Within Us
Composed in 2010-11 for Guitar and Piano
1. Nocturne
2. Blue
3. White
4. Andromeda
5. Flight
The Stars Within Us (2011) was written for Catherine Donkin and Louis Trépanier. I wrote the first movement in 2010 and that movement was given its première by Catherine and Louis at Carleton University on May 12, 2011. The first movement — “Nocturne” — has a reference at the end to Albeniz’s Asturias. That reference summarizes the tonal language of the first movement is the basis for the overall title. My goal in these pieces was to find ways in which the guitar and piano could interact without the piano dominating. The third movement quotes one of my graduate-student pieces, Clouds for Mezzo-Soprano and guitar.
The Stars Within Us was premiered July 9, 2012 by Louis Trépanier and Catherine Donkin as part of the concert “Music of John Armstrong” at the 2012 Music and Beyond Festival in Ottawa.