Ocean Park

for large orchestra

Duration - appr. 6 minutes

Program Notes:

Ocean Park was first conceived as a short orchestral piece inspired by the painting Ocean Park No. 67 by Richard Diebenkorn.  It was shortly after beginning construction that the idea of using the form of an overture first presented itself.  By writing the opening music for a nonexistent dramatic work, I could freely jump from theme to theme with minimal transition.  It also afforded me the ability to import many drastically different styles into the piece, each without development or even resolution.  In the end, the piece started conjuring up images of a boardwalk-like atmosphere, with carnival rides and couples walking around eating cotton candy.  And in my mind all of these images are created using Dibenkorn’s pastel shades and architectural lines.

- Ryan Jesperson 
Sept. 15, 2006