Autumn Elegy

This lyrical piece evokes feelings of loss, hope and endurance through its wistful colors and melodies. Written for my friend, Scott Lang, to honor the short life of his identical twin brother, it is Scott's words that can truly express the meaning behind the music: Todd Mac Lang was my best friend, my mirror self, my twin, and is a presence that follows me through every season of my life. Autumn Elegy, commissioned in memory of my identical twin brother, is a tribute to the four short years we shared and also to the bond that has never ended; it has simply changed shape. This piece is not just "for" Todd, but "to" him; it is my way of saying that I still think about you and love you. A half-century after his passing, my memories of him are as lucid as if they were yesterday. As I've grown, so has the outline of his absence: first, the missing playmate; then the friend who never got my late-night phone calls; the uncle my two boys will never meet; and the father he might have become but never had the chance to be. Through it all, he has remained what he was from the very beginning - my brother. Every fall, as the air sharpens and the world turns gold, I'm brought back to his October passing. The grief doesn't diminish with time; it simply stretches out, appearing at longer intervals, yet striking with the familiar clarity of sadness when it arrives. In that annual chill, there's a quiet warmth - and the comfort of memory. Autumn Elegy is intended to invite a musical reflection and remembrance of the people who have impacted you throughout your life. This piece is not only a remembrance of Todd's brief life, but a tribute to how a single life, however short, can be a lifelong echo.