Symphony for Wind Ensemble (2016)
[24 minutes]
Instrumentation
Fl. (4) (IV dbl. alto) | Ob. (2) (II dbl. Eng. Hn.)| Cl. Bb (3) | B. Cl. Bb (1) | Cb. Cl. Bb (1) | Bsn. (2) | SATB Sax | Hn. F (4) | Tpt. Bb (4) | Tbn. (2) | B. Tbn (1) | Euph. (1) | Tuba (1) | Piano | Contrabass | Timpani | Percussion (5)
Program Note
The Symphony for Wind Ensemble is divided into three movements played continuously. The first movement is titled ReFormation, the second Stability, and the third Chaos. Together these movements are meant to portray the rise and fall of a civilization/society. The symphony’s compositional material is based on five core thematic ideas, each representing a different aspect of civilization. [Re]Formation begins with these ideas disconnected from each other in a soft murmur. Slowly these ideas unite, showing their potential to work together. The pace of the movement picks up, with each idea developing and morphing into various shapes and colors. The shifting of color ends and the energy gradually fades away, leaving the piano to sweep the energy into the second movement. The second movement, Stability, opens with a tranquil presentation of the five ideas each subtly transformed. The style shifts to a light groove, celebrating the peaceful cooperation of all the motives with the piano playing in an improvisatory leading role. This groove is gradually let go, leaving the five motives to weave together in a free and open style. In this open passage, the piano begins to fade away from its leading role and the rest of the ensemble takes dominance with a dark foreboding swell of things to come. In the final moments of Stability the full ensemble fades away leaving the piano alone and unsupported. Chaos begins and the five ideas each fight for dominance, unable to lock in a groove again. Throughout the movement, the piano continuously tries to introduce a new harmonic idea, at one point hammering it out as loud as it can, but to no avail. The tyrant motif punctuates the end of the piano’s failed statement and true chaos presents itself. This cacophony ends abruptly and is followed by a dirge held for the five ideas, developing in a similar style to the beginning of ReFormation. Throughout the dirge, the new idea the piano tried to state is the harmonic ground for the final presentation of the five core ideas.