Steeley Pause for 4 C flutes by Jennifer Higdon

The title of this piece first came to me while I was thinking about creating intensity in music and about the challenge of writing a piece that is full of tension. “Steeley” is from the metal steel, which implies intensity. “Pause” carries two meanings in the context of the piece. In the first, it represents the moments of silence in the piece, which, because of all the musical activity occurring around them, are within themselves intense. And secondly, “Pause” means to take a moment, which is about the duration of this work, since the longer intensity goes on, the less intense it becomes.—Jennifer Higdon