Full Circle

Maskil 2: The Key You Always Had

Waiting Amidst Silence

Pe sub lună, pe sub stele

Premiere performance by Dr. Robert Benton and the University of Nebraska at Kearney wind ensemble conducted by Dr. Duane Bierman at the 2024 Great Plains Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Migration Concerto for Euphonium and Wind Ensemble was commissioned by Dr. Robert Benton for the 2024 Great Plains Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference at the University of Kearney, Nebraska, and was further supported by the Nebraska Arts Council, the Audubon Rowe Sanctuary, and the Great Plains Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference. The work is directly
inspired by the annual Springtime great migration of Sandhill Cranes on the Platte River in Kearny. The Migration Euphonium Concerto consists of three movements that musically convey this
massive event through the lens of both an onlooker and a Sandhill Crane: I. Arrival, II. Sistere (still), and III. Flight.

Sistere (still) is what I consider the heart of the Concerto. The Latin word sistere means “to stop” and “to cease moving”. This movement represents the Sandhill Cranes huddled together, roosting on the Platte River. An optimistic percussion introduction rings for ten seconds before an ethereal vibraphone-led progression leads into the solo euphonium melody. The soloist and ensemble build in intensity until a subito piano brings the music back into the initial dream-like chorale. There is another swell of intensity and a subito pianissimo before the music blossoms into a sweeping and passionate restatement of the original material, this time in a new key. The movement ends with a subdued, hopeful iteration of the chorale progression.

Cover art by Hope Schwartz

Sheet Music available here:

Piano Reduction: https://www.ianlestermusic.com/store/p45/Migration_Concerto_for_Euphonium_and_Wind_Ensemble_%28Piano_Reduction%29_%282024%29.html

With Wind Ensemble: https://www.ianlestermusic.com/store/p44/Migration_Concerto_for_Euphonium_and_Wind_Ensemble_%282024%29.html

Copyright © 2024 Ian Lester

Maskil 2: The Key You Always Had

Luke Victor