ABLAZE THE MOON for orchestra is inspired by the poem Tonight by the American lyric poet Sara Teasdale (1884–1933). The melodies in the piece follow the lines of the poem, which are full of vivid descriptions and begin: “The moon is a curving flower of gold, the sky is still and blue; The moon was made for the sky to hold, and I for you.”

In this short concert opener, the image of the moon as a flower of gold hanging in a dark sky is alluded to by atmospheric passages that begin in the circling woodwinds. These are contrasted with deep punctuations in the strings suggesting the vast darkness that surrounds it. These forceful interjections ignite the woodwinds to disperse, fall, and spiral, momentarily accentuating the dark backdrop of the sky. The music drives forward through the expanse, with the horns and brass building the texture, until the piece opens out into an ethereal and celestial space as “the sky is luminous; eternity was made for them, to-night for us.”

—Grace-Evangeline Mason