About the Compositions Symphonic Poem was commissioned by and dedicated to marimbist Eriko Daimo, who premiered the work at the Universal Marimba Festival in Belgium 2007. The composition revolves around interplay between Theme I and II, which represent two of the exact opposites, ie., good and evil, yin and yang, male and female. Though not strictly programatic, the piece does have some programatic ideas as suggested by the track listings. Theme I is based on a four note motive, E-F-A-B, which has inspired many of my compositions, such as my Five Musical Moments and Marimba Concerto with String Orchestra and Timpani. In Theme I, I placed the 4 notes horizontally into a chord that in my mind always wants to resolve but never does. Though a 'key' is never clearly presented here, I have always though of this section as being in a minor. Theme II starts off clearly in Eb Major with a character that is the complete opposite of Theme I. If ...