"Lithium" for Orchestra (2022) by Keane Southard.
Performed by the Ball State Symphony Orchestra, conducted Stephen Larson, at the Ball State University Festival of New Music on March 15, 2024.
Program notes:
"Lithium" is the third and final movement of my Symphony No. 2 “Metallic” for Large
Orchestra. The symphony first began life as my Piano Sonata No. 2 which was begun in 2006
and completed in 2008. This was the first large-scale work (over 15 minutes) that I had ever
written, and I premiered the sonata myself in 2008. After playing the first movement in a
masterclass with a well-known American composer, she suggested that I orchestrate it-that the
instruments and colors were right there begging to be realized in orchestral form. This thought
stayed in the back of my mind for several years until I decided to give it a shot. After completing
the first movement, I decided that the other movements would work well in an orchestral form as
well and decided to turn the sonata into a symphony.
“Lithium” was orchestrated/composed in fall 2022 and completed in late October that year.
Lithium is the least dense metal and yet is highly reactive and flammable. Compared to the
previous two movements (“Titanium & Mercury”, and “Iridium”), the music here is less dense,
somewhat lighter in mood, and more traditional with some, albeit rather subtle, connections to
tonality and a few non-classical musical styles. However, there are still plenty of moments of
explosivity.
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