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goodness! And you can think that what you’re doing is the only thing in
the world that matters.6
Despite the general uniting characteristics in her music, Larsen wholeheartedly
wants her audience to listen to her music for its overall effect and not for the individual
elements of which it is comprised. The composer conceives of her compositions on a
large scale, not by a predetermined formal or tonal structure. In addressing her overall
compositional approach and the connections the author made between her compositions,
Larsen explains:
I’ve gotten over the fact that so much of it is instinct, because Γm prolific
and it’s just there. I think in music. Γm trying to be as curious as I can be
about what you’re finding, because Γm thinking, ‘wow, that’s how that
worked!’ I can tell you the story of how I think it came to be but that isn’t
necessarily how it came to be.7
Indeed, she is quite prolific and the scope of her achievements will not be fully
appreciated for many years to come. She has left a lasting effect on the countless
musicians who have had the privilege to work with her, and her contributions to the
contemporary music community both as a composer and an advocate are innumerable. As
James Levine, who commissioned one of her earliest pieces, Cajun Set, recently
remarked:
LL was a joy to work with. She set out to make a career as a professional
composer and she actually succeeded. It’s a remarkable achievement! She
has a combination of talent, really hard work, and tremendous intelligence
about the process. She did it on her own.8
Larsen’s career continues to flourish and her calendar is filled with numerous
commissions, premiere performances, coachings with musicians, and academic and
Larsen, interview, 8/2008.
7
Larsen, interview, 7/2009.
ɛ
Levine, interview, 11/2009.