River of No Return is about the journey of the Salmon River through Central Idaho. Along its course it passes through some of the most spectacular, rugged, and scenic Wilderness in the world. This river has been designated a Wild and Scenic River and is the longest free-flowing river in the Lower 48. The five movements of this work are influenced by the locations the river flows through on its way to join the Snake River in Hell’s Canyon. They are all unified by a single two-note motive that is presented differently in each movement. Because the river is ever changing, this motive is continuously developed, reflecting the dynamic nature of the river.
Sawtooth Snowmelt – The Salmon River’s source is high in the alpine lakes of the Sawtooth Wilderness in Central Idaho. This work is influenced by the yearly cycle of melting snow that gives birth to the river. The ice breaks up and the snow melts in the sun, sending torrents of water crashing down the mountain. The streams join together to form larger and larger tributaries until they become the fully-formed River of No Return.
Pahsimeroi – This movement is about the stark landscape of the Pahsimeroi Valley in Eastern Idaho. The Salmon River runs past the north end of this valley skirting both the Lost River and Lemhi Mountains. These mountains are the highest in Idaho and dramatically surround the valley on all sides. IT is one of the most spectacularly scenic places I have been to, but it is also spectacularly empty. This movement evokes that vast emptiness and the solitude it brings.
Ashes – One of the defining characteristics of the Salmon River region is the ever-changing relationship of the land with wildfire. The river flows through some of the most heavily burned areas in the nation and it is difficult now to venture into the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness without encountering the effect of fire and climate change. This movement only uses the winds to give the sense of emptiness and desolation, portraying the blackened landscape after a fire. While this movement is atonal there is a sense of hope at the end signified by the final C-Major harmony. While fires bring destruction they also generate new life and new beginnings.
Crags – One of the most spectacular places in the Frank Church Wilderness is an area known as the Bighorn Crags. Rising thousands of feet above the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, these mountains are a jumbled mess of granite spires, fins, and peaks. The grandeur and asymmetry of the angular rock features is represented by wide spacing of the instruments and many fragmented, disjunct melodies tossed between the instruments. The ever-present ostinato is a reminder of the river far below.
Canyons – The defining feature of the Salmon River is the massive canyon it flows through. Essentially dividing Idaho in half, it is one of the deepest gorges in North America. Besides the beautiful country the river flows through, the Salmon is world-renowned for its whitewater rafting. Powerful rapids are created by the river, which is now at full force. The swiftness of the current is depicted by a dancelike compound meter and playful melodies. The river motive is the driving force behind the movement and as the Salmon exits its canyon and dissipates into the mighty Snake, the river motive is likewise faded out until it is the last thing the listener hears, recalling the journey of the river. It is now transposed and transformed, but still recognizable just as the River of No Return changes throughout its course.

River of No Return

River of No Return is about the journey of the Salmon River through Central Idaho. Along its course it passes through some of the most spectacular, rugged, and scenic Wilderness in the world. This river has been designated a Wild and Scenic River and is the longest free-flowing river in the Lower 48. The five movements of this work are influenced by the locations the river flows through on its way to join the Snake River in Hell’s Canyon. They are all unified by a single two-note motive that is presented differently in each movement. Because the river is ever changing, this motive is continuously developed, reflecting the dynamic nature of the river.
Sawtooth Snowmelt – The Salmon River’s source is high in the alpine lakes of the Sawtooth Wilderness in Central Idaho. This work is influenced by the yearly cycle of melting snow that gives birth to the river. The ice breaks up and the snow melts in the sun, sending torrents of water crashing down the mountain. The streams join together to form larger and larger tributaries until they become the fully-formed River of No Return.
Pahsimeroi – This movement is about the stark landscape of the Pahsimeroi Valley in Eastern Idaho. The Salmon River runs past the north end of this valley skirting both the Lost River and Lemhi Mountains. These mountains are the highest in Idaho and dramatically surround the valley on all sides. IT is one of the most spectacularly scenic places I have been to, but it is also spectacularly empty. This movement evokes that vast emptiness and the solitude it brings.
Ashes – One of the defining characteristics of the Salmon River region is the ever-changing relationship of the land with wildfire. The river flows through some of the most heavily burned areas in the nation and it is difficult now to venture into the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness without encountering the effect of fire and climate change. This movement only uses the winds to give the sense of emptiness and desolation, portraying the blackened landscape after a fire. While this movement is atonal there is a sense of hope at the end signified by the final C-Major harmony. While fires bring destruction they also generate new life and new beginnings.
Crags – One of the most spectacular places in the Frank Church Wilderness in as area know as the Bighorn Crags. Rising thousands of feet above the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, these mountains are a jumbled mess of granite spires, fins, and peaks. The grandeur and asymmetry of the angular rock features is represented by wide spacing of the instruments and many fragmented, disjunct melodies tossed between the instruments. The ever-present ostinato is a reminder of the river far below.
Canyons – The defining feature of the Salmon River is the massive canyon it flows through. Essentially dividing Idaho in half, it is one of the deepest gorges in North America. Besides the beautiful country the river flows through, the Salmon is world-renowned for is white water rafting. Powerful rapids are created by the river, which is now at full force. The swiftness of the current is depicted by a dancelike compound meter and playful melodies. The river motive is the driving force behind the movement and as the Salmon exits its canyon and dissipates into the might Snake, the river motive is likewise faded out until it is the last thing the listener hears, recalling the journey of the river. It is now transposed and transformed, but still recognizable just as the River of No Return changes throughout its course.

V-Canyons

IV-Crags

III-Ashes

II-Pahsimeroi

I-Sawtooth Snowmelt

PhD in Music Composition from the University of Utah. Currently serving as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the music theory area at the University of Utah School of Music, an Adjunct Instructor of Humanities at Utah Valley University and IvyTech Community College, and a theory faculty member at the Gifted Music School in Salt Lake City, Utah.

River of No Return

Matthew R. Durrant