The first year of a couple homesteading.

First mov. The first winter

The trio begins with a rising sixth ( an elaboration of a rising 5th an interval the ancient Greeks thought so perfect that it could heal), this is the music of growth, the clarinet and piano join in turn, as tendrils weave around each other. This is the music of summer

The music darkens a foreshadowing of winter.

The music moves to the minor as the piano announces the first breath of winter.
the violin and clarinet enter and the cold dance of death settles, we hear also the Dies Irae chant .


The music grows in intensity, then a nostalgic waltz a memory of better times wherein we hear the theme of growth.

The themes intertwine life and death dance together, winter recedes and the opening music returns with  a flourish as spring returns.

Second mov. Isolation

The rising sixth of the opening ( inverted) becomes a falling minor third.

This movement is in twelve sections, each section represents one month, the first month is January. Each section has three chords ( three descending minor chords each a major third apart) the third chord leads back to the first but when it arrives the first chord has changed and so we are led into the next month.

All the chords except the two that occur in July are minor.

 January, the violin announces the theme deep in despair, isolation and the dark of winter. February, the clarinet enters the two move both together and at odds. March and April follow the piano marking the time as the seconds hours and weeks pass.

As May arrives the clarinet plays a rising Celtic theme that the violin imitates, wishing for spring. June, the music grows more optimistic though the winter theme persists in the clarinet.

July comes with the only major chords in the movement. A time of relative ease. August comes all too soon, as the fall creeps in the violin tries to stay optimistic (Celtic tune) but the winter theme makes its appearance again in the clarinet, finally winter closes in with echoes of the Dies Irae.

Third mov. Adventure

The rising sixth theme of the first movement returns. It is heroic as it overcomes all manner of perils.

Simon Cole Trio on Northern Themes

As I slept at the sacred mountain I saw, chaos.
A wolf pack running, foreshadowing the coming flood the spirits of the forest reaching up in warning, then.....
Now we run through the forest, the ever present wind the trees whispering and groaning, we see an eagle, a deer, a moose standing alone in the snow ,we catch flashes of the land as it was, that is our destination. It seems like we have arrived, but then we remember, still we press onwards. The drowned spirits will always be present but for now they descend back into the earth, we are home.
Premiered by the Prince George Symphony 2021

Simon Cole The Return

A walk by the sea  as recorded by the late great conductor Georg Tintner

Simon Cole Killiniskey Duff

The year of Isolation. 12 sections each a month starting in Jan. Alone on the homestead.
Jan-Dec

Trio on Northern Themes 2nd Mov

The first movement theme returns and overcomes all manner of perils.

Trio on Northern Themes 3rd mov

I sometimes go here it's nice to have a quality  bakery in town. 

A German Bakery

Up the Hart highway and a bit off the road a quite area that seems farther out in the woods than it really is. A nice place to just sit and be.

Trailer park

A voyage from darkness to light
score to animated movie .strings single winds trombone horn harp , perc. and voice

1mov. of 3 
Spring Summer Fall Winter Spring
The first winter homesteading. A rising first theme symbolizes growth. Then fall a foreshadowing of winter The second theme group medieval in style represents winter, it includes a plain chant. In the development they intertwine the snow fades and spring arrives. Violin(Oboe) Clarinet in A(Viola) and Piano.

Trio on Northern Themes 1mov

Trio on Northern Themes 1 mov

Dark forest
Glade
Bird flies towards the light
Meeting of the rivers
Fire
Building
Rural town
Busy city
People at the meeting of the rivers
A new city

Alban Classical

Pinned to spotlight

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