Sustain

Sustain is a 2018 composition for orchestra by the American composer Andrew Norman. The work was premiered on October 4, 2018 by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, as part of their centennial season. Composition Inspiration Sustain was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic for their centennial season. Norman has stated that he began by imagining what orchestral music will mean in the future, during the 200th season of the orchestra. Thus, the piece was conceptualized as "one long unbroken musical thought", focusing on the importance of communal listening. However, it eventually came to represent the Earth and the vast scale of geologic time. Norman has explained in an interview that the title "Sustain" comes partly from his background as a pianist (in reference to the sustain pedal), and that it also relates to the idea that each note in the piece should have its own journey.