In the Hours of the New Moon

In astrology, the time of the new moon, the beginning of a new moon cycle, is a symbol of restoration and new beginning. The title of Nikolaj Andrejewitsch Roslawez’s symphonic poem probably refers to poems by the symbolist poet Jules Laforgues (1860-1887). The piece was written at a time of social awakening in Russia and, like many of Roslawez’s works, points musically far into the future, with its form being based on micro-thematic, timbral modulations.