In the summer of 2011, I was began working on a piece for Beta Test’s Monsters program while on vacation with my family in Lovell, Maine. Located in Western Maine, Lovell is the home of Stephen King, Kezar Lake, and Ebenezer’s pub. Ebenezer’s is one of the best beer bars in America, and during vacation I was happy to sample a few of the best beers in the world, including Pannepot Wild and Verdi Imperial Stout. Stephen King needs no introduction. Kezar Lake is the beautiful and tranquil Maine lake pictured above.
The lake quickly made itself the focus of the piece. The peacefulness of the region is alluring – this was not the first time my family visited for their summer holiday and they generally consider it paradise. Of course, in the middle of the summer there are no hints of the harsh winter and only a careful eye can find examples of the apprehension some of the locales have for the seasonal visitors. To me, the lake was a sort of Siren, beckoning a false realty.
The piece was written for hulusi, an absolutely gorgeous Chinese folk instrument, and harp. Both the harpist (Elizabeth Morgan-Ellis) and hulusi player (Justin Bulava) mentioned they would be willing to play something I wrote for them, but cautioned me about the limited volume of their instruments. So, naturally I combined the two for this work. The video is from the premiere performance on 10/22/2011 at Moonstone Arts Center and was part of Beta Test’s “Monsters” program.
