Golden Hour Haze

In photography, the "golden hour" can be defined as the period of daytime shortly after sunrise or before sunset, in which the sun is lower in the sky, reducing the intensity of direct sunlight and illuminating the earth in a golden shroud. Golden Hour Haze directly resembles this phenomenon, providing the listener with feelings of hopefulness, while simultaneously offering conflicting feelings of not knowing whether it is actually day or night. This troubling problem culminates in the beginning and end sections of the piece, in which an improvisatory flute solo and extended piano techniques are utilized to convey the sense of mystery and apprehension. Additionally, the use of non-traditional chord progressions and chord extensions, the frequent section and orchestration changes, and rapid modal and intervallic shifts in both the melody and harmony, are all employed throughout the piece to give the listener the true sense that they are in this haze, not knowing what to do.