3.3.3.3 / 4.3.3.1 / timp.3 perc. / strings
6’30”
composed 1998
premiered by the University of Southern California Symphony Orchestra (Los Angeles, California)
Composer’s Note
In Phillip K. Dick's short story "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?," the actual electric sheep in question are robotic pets, created to look and behave just like real sheep. These android animals exist in part because, in the author's portrayal of the future, most living animals were killed by a massive holocaust. As a result, ownership of a real living animal is a symbol of wealth and status in this dark future.
Electric Sheep captures the essence (or lack thereof) of these fake animals. The piece is playful and highly rhythmic, yet is shrouded with an icy emptiness that a living sheep would be without.