Urban Sprawl (2011)
For Flute, Oboe, 2 Clarinets, Bassoon, Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, 2 Violins, Viola, Cello, Bass, Percussion, and Piano
8 Minutes
About the Music
Born in Texas, Clint Needham has written music for many of the most well-respected orchestras and chamber ensembles of his time. His music has been praised as “wildly entertaining” and “stunning . . . brilliantly orchestrated” (New York Times). Commissioned and premiered by Alarm Will Sound (2011 Mizzou New Music Summer Festival), Urban Sprawl was inspired by Needham’s house hunt in the suburbs. About the conception of the work Needham says, “After spending months looking, my wife and I bought a home in the suburbs. While looking, I increasingly became intrigued by the overall ‘funkiness’ of the insides of a number of houses. After seeing so many of these homes, I began to imagine who these current homeowners were. I started picturing them moving about their homes, doing these crazy projects, and dancing a quirky new dance I called the ‘urban sprawl.’”