Diminished Resistance is a dramatic overture inspired by the struggle to preserve democracy. The title is a pun: both an alarm for fatigue battling a constant stream of disinformation, and a description of the diminished seventh chords that contend against each other throughout the piece. In nearly every measure, Diminished Resistance pits diminished seventh chords against each other. They approach, they recede; they confront, they flee; they fret, they exult; they lament, they battle. It is not an easy thing. At the climax, chaos ensues and the orchestra improvises briefly in disarray. For a brief moment, brass and glistening strings portend a possible ‘sunrise of democracy.’ But then the final coda again enjoins the fray of battle. As we painfully know, the jury is still out…