D. IppensenThe Vision
String Quintet and Piano
Score and Parts
  1. Night
  2. The Sighting
  3. Starry Night		CB12221  $29.95
The Vision by D. Ippensen is a three-movement work scored for string (quintet) and piano. The movements are titles Night, The Sighting, and Starry Night, and are based on a poem by the composer. The piece moves through the keys of E and B minor but the frequent use of fourths and fifths brings out a modal tonality. The ground-bass lines and strong rhythms that move through all the parts add a rich contrapuntal texture to the composition, but will require careful rehearsing.
    -Alvin Mistak, The Instrumentalist September 2004
‘The Vision’ is based on a poem, also entitled The Vision (included below). While it is not an extraordinarily long piece, each of the three movements portray the character of the poem and bring many musical moments to the performers and audience members alike.

The work begins with the setting of the sun and the setting of the stage for ‘The Night’ to come. Once the sun has set, the tempo speeds, and the sounds of the night, one by one, creep into the music. At the end of the first movement, the focus shifts while the sounds of the night continue on.

The second movement is a direct reference to ‘The Sighting’ explained in the poem. Several characters from this vision are represented in the ensuing passage, until it becomes too much for the ear to discern.

The third movement, ‘Starry Night,’ focuses on the realization of what this meeting means. The movement begins with a theme, or a realization. This idea then jumps and shifts, with subtle colors and nuances changing with each passing repetition. When the idea finally comes to a conclusion, so has the piece, but not without one last parting exclamation point.

The Vision

I was standing at the crossroads, looking left and right.
Stood there at the crossroads, all day and night.

Then the big man came, looking rough and mean.
Told me what was coming, told me what he’d seen.

Man eatin’ frogs, taking over cities.
Ten foot tall kangaroos, hippos getting jiggy.

Pink elephants in the sky, the rivers flowing red,
The man thought he’d gone mad, wanted to be dead.

Then he came closer, and I got a whiff
Of where the madness came from: he’d been drinking stiff.

Two liters whisky, drank all at once,
Made him a crazy man, speaking in grunts.

Then he spun around, jumped up with a go.
Suddenly I realized: I’d just met Godot.

- Derek Ippensen
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