Katherine Bergman, composer
The piece is finished!!! Hannah and Susan were to premiere Hidden Currents by Katherine Bergman at the International Double Reed Society (IDRS) Conference in Iowa over the summer. As with most conferences during the pandemic, this one was cancelled and so was our premiere. As the safety of being indoors in large numbers is uncertain, Dúo León is hoping to share the premiere of Hidden Currents outdoors in the Spring as the weather becomes nice enough for a harp and oboe to be outdoors.
Hidden Currents is a piece written to represent the Mississippi River, the second longest river in North America, during the winter. The river begins in Minnesota and ends in the Gulf of Mexico. Minnesotans are exceptionally lucky to have the only span of the river which has a designated National Park Site located right in their backyard. The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area has a number of great locations to explore with the main visitors center located at the Science Museum of Minnesota. You do not need a museum pass to enter this incredible visitor center right inside the main doors of the museum. If you have children in your families, make sure to bring them along so they can become Mississippi River Junior Rangers!
Hidden Currents is written in three movements labeled "attacca," meaning that all three separate movements are combined into a larger 10 1/2 minute ongoing piece, much like the river it portrays. The titles of the movements are as follows: 1. Beneath, 2. January Thaw, 3. Between Bluffs. In movement one, we begin above the river, looking down on it from above then dive under the water to see and hear all of the action happening below the ice. Movement two portrays one of our lovely warm days in mid January as ice and snow begin to melt and move around, turning into slush. The third movement is just as titled, Between Bluffs. Imagery of Eagles flying high above the Mississippi River can be heard through the soaring sound of the oboe.
Though Hidden Currents was not premiered at IDRS as planned, the duo is still excited to share the work with the world. In the midst of the ongoing pandemic, let Dúo Léon take you on a musical journey through the beauty that is the Mississippi River.
Hidden Currents was adapted into a piece for oboe and wind ensemble which Susan will premiere in Iowa with Dr. Onsby Rose and the Dordt University Wind Symphony on March 8th, 2021.
Hannah and Susan in front of the St. Croix River, which intersects with the Mississippi a bit further south in Prescott, Wisconsin