The title for Believing came to me after the music had been written. During the time I was working on the piece I had been listening to a song by John Lennon called Tomorrow never knows. It’s a fantastic song – very psychedelic – written at a time when the Beatles were exploring spiritual questions. You can hear it in the music, and in the words. There’s a line, “It is believing” that comes back again and again. Believing is such a powerful word – full of optimism and struggle. It’s hard to believe and it’s liberating to believe. The music is very much written for the Bang on a Can All-Stars. It is my second piece for the group and I feel that I have really gotten inside their sound. Believing was commissioned by NPS Dutch Radio. I am very grateful for their support for this work.
