Remember “Y2K”—the Millennial Year 2000? It was a time of extravagant hopes and dire predictions, as pundits weighed in with their spin as the 20th century hastened to its end.

Composers weighed in, too. The American Composers Forum and the National Endowment for the Arts collaborated on a project entitled “Continental Harmony,” which commissioned new musical works for public celebrations in communities large and small in all 50 states. The ambitious commissioning project was even endorsed by the “Millennium Council” of the Clinton White House.

Premieres of many “Continental Harmony” commissions occurred on or near the Fourth of July in the year 2000. On today’s date, for example, on the eve of the Fourth, the Richmond Symphony in Virginia premiered an orchestra work entitled “From Time to

Time: Fantasias on Two Appalachian Folksongs.”

Its composer was Anthony Iannaccone, who explained the title of his new piece as follows: “In the first fantasia, the extraordinary beauty of Virginia and the resilient spirit of its people provided the inspiration for an extended tone poem based on the folksong ‘Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair’... The second movement, entitled ‘Moving Time: A Millennial Ride,’ is a fast, brief launch into the new millennium, with the folk tune ‘Shenandoah’ presented in fragments... the orchestra extracts the folk melody and recasts it as a kind of Fourth of July fireworks display.”