Nico
Muhly,

There are two distinct sets of material at play in Out of the Loop. The first is a clear, sterile pulsing””highly organized and mathematically informed. The second set of material (which exists primarily in the background) is a tonally and rhythmically flexible mess of sorts, involving more shimmering, aggressive and antagonistic material. For the most part, Out of the Loop is about the tension between these two sets of material””the transition between one and the other can happen secretly, smoothly, or violently. To a certain extent, this violence is presented as transgressive, but the pulsing material occasionally takes on the qualities of its aggressor (most notably in the uprooting metric modulations in the opening four minutes). After much ado, the conclusion of the piece gestures towards a synthesis of the two materials. The title refers not only to the disjointed rhythmic sensibility of the central section but also to the piece’s staging of minimalist techniques in most decidedly un-minimal ways (irregular pulses, shifting beats, polytonal moments). Out of the Loop is scored for large orchestra and lasts 12 minutes. The premiere, featuring the Juilliard Orchestra, was conducted by Jeffrey Milarsky in May, 2003. Out of the Loop was the winner of a 2003 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composers’ Award.

[audio:OutOfTheLoop.mp3]
Live Recording
The Juilliard Orchestra
Jeffrey Milarsky, conductor