Stratoscape is a colourful and contrasting work for intermediate wind band, depicting the view of our earth as seen from the stratosphere. This voyage into the sky is pictural, but also methaphoric, as it is also a distancing from our world.

The work is divided in 5 sections and has a general 3-part "fast - slow - fast" structure : sect. I - II / III / IV - V. I tried to variate the language to create contrasting sections, and thus, the work is unified with its musical material, which is fast entirely derived from the main theme exposed in the first measures of the piece, whether it be in a rythmic or melodic way.


Main theme, as exposed at m. 1 - 8
I. Ignition ! (Allumage des moteurs !)

In this section , I tried to set in music the majesty of our planet and the excitement to see it from the stratosphere. Let's start our journey to the skies ! The work begins with energetic fanfare-like introduction, preceding the exposition of a musical leitmotiv (mark A) and to a secondary theme (25), which will serve as main melodical material in other sections. A march-like development of theme occurs at letter B, before the return of the introction at mark E.

II. Broadness & The Big Blue (Vasteté & Le Grand Bleu)

The secondary musical material of section I is now treated in a minimalistic and atmospheric way (F), depicting the broadness of the landscapes of our planet as well as the wideness of the seas. The music dilocates from mark I, exposing a crucial low-brass motif, derived from the leitmotivic third-relation present in the whole piece.

III. Stars Shining from Down and Above (Des étoiles scintillant d’en bas et d’en haut)

The middle part sets in music the fragile beauty of our earth at night. Theres is also a duality in the elements depicted here : the stars shining from down (the lights / the humans on the earth) and above (the stars in the sky / the people who left).

After some atmospheric variations of the musical leitmotiv from mark A (J), the oboe exposes a lyrical motif, rythmically and directionally derived from the main theme (K), leading to a quiet section, with various solos in the ensemble.

IV. Destructive Forces  (Forces destructrices)

This section intends to describe the majesty (fanfare sections at marks Q and W) and the raw power of nature, but also the destruction caused by humans : The rytmic motif derived from the low-brass at letter I is developed here in a very agressive manner (mark it really has to be raw sweating and muscular power!), giving the lead to the massive percussion section (letter R) and developing the material of previous sections in a sacarstic and mad way. The music collapses at m. 308, leading to an haunting quasi senza misura section, then returning to the rythmic pulsation of the beginning of the section.

V. One and Only Home (Notre seule et unique demeure)

This little section, concieved as a finale, returns shortly to a minimalist writing (mark X), giving us a little break after the sonorous end of section IV, and summarizing the material of the previous section. The final section beginning at mark Y ends the piece in an enthusiastic way.


This piece was first composed in november 2020 and profoundly revised in early 2022.

The work has not been played yet.

Stratoscape (Wind Band DEMO)

Composer and conductor based in Fribourg (Switzerland).

Stratoscape (Wind Band DEMO)

Gauthier Dupertuis