Kyle Kindred: Music
Austin-Autos
(Erik Steighner, saxophone; Kyle Kindred, piano)
2004
Austin-tasia was written in 2004 near the end of the five years I lived in Austin, Texas. After 22 years of living in rural Kansas, Austin provided my first experience with "big-city life." I have many fond memories of its beautiful surroundings, exciting night-life, live music venues, independent film exhibitions, important political events, lakes, trees, places to run and hike, interesting cultural neighborhoods, and people proud to call themselves "weird." This piece draws upon reflections of two forms of interaction I had with the city of Austin.
The first movement, "Riverside Statues", was inspired by the street I lived on near the Colorado River. Between the river and Riverside Drive lies Town Lake, a beautiful park with scenic paths for walking and running through the heart of dowtown Austin. On the other side of Riverside Drive, and near my old home, lies an area of town full of hispanic culture, character, and charm as well as a fair amount of poverty, homelessness, and danger. I used to love exploring the different areas of my beautiful neighborhood and its people, although I occasionally ran into situations that were both sombering and frightening.
The title of the second movement, "Austin-Autos", is a play on words referring to both the high volume of traffic in Austin and the term "ostinato," a compositional device involving the constant or "motor-like" repetition of a musical idea. This movement is a reflection of my conflicting love and hate of the fast-paced life in the city with its potential for both extreme excitement and incredible frustration.
Austin-tasia was premiered at The University of Texas at Austin in 2004 by Erik Steighner, saxophonist, with the composer at the piano.