(from the program notes to the second performance):

(for October 17th, 1999)

"Long Island Sound" was commissioned by the Manhattan Virtuosi, and was performed by them, under the direction of Denis Segond, and yours truly as the soloist, precisely fifty-three weeks ago today. The commission came to me at a time when I was going through a short creative silence. While avidly composing throughout High School, the adjustment to an atmosphere akin to Juilliard's took some time. During my freshman year, I wrote virtually nothing; during my sophomore year, I wrote a little more. When the possibility of the commission from Manhattan Virtuosi made itself known, I wasn't sure if, frankly, I'd be able to write anything. Somehow, life was taken out of me, and I wasn't able to associate with the world. In short, I was becoming 'a composer'. Eventually, I was saved -- I gained great new friends, and became a happy soul again.

The opening motif came to me while I was observing the ocean waves, at my family's summer retreat near Riverhead, on the Long Island Sound. The rest of the material came to me later that day, as I was walking up and down the beach. The piece was completed about three weeks later.

Since its premiere, "Long Island Sound" has become a favorite piece to a number of people. Some listen to it before they go to bed, others listen to it in the morning. For me, it stands as my first major work, during the composition of which I truly began to believe in my ability as a composer, and, moreover, as a person. I hope you enjoy it.

-Ljova