MIDI rendition.

The term “cascade” evokes a sense of natural energy and momentum; the energetic, fast-paced pulse of this piece seeks to replicate a similar sense of motion. Cascade is also the name of a mountain in Banff National Park (Canada), which I hiked in the summer of 2014. I was struck on my way up to the top by the solitude of the trail, being away from everything, but still being surrounded by life and energy. Though I was far from the noise of daily life and all the clutter below and in many ways felt distant from everything, I saw wildflowers and butterflies far beyond the treeline. Up even higher, I found fossils of ancient sea creatures that lived when the mountaintop shale formed the ocean floor hundreds of millions of years ago. The mountain was a beautiful testament to life on our planet, and the view from the top was spectacular. In Cascade, I seek to musically represent the wonder of the nature around me that day, some of the solitude, and the exhilarating journey to the top.

Premiered March 2016 - Irving, TX

Cascade (2016)

Live performance by Meadows Wind Ensemble, directed by Jack Delaney; April 2014; Dallas, TX.

Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring has been my favourite piece of music for longer than I can remember, likely ever since I first saw Disney’s Fantasia as a child.  Infectious rhythms, catchy ostinati, and saucy themes are all major reasons why the Rite has been captivating audiences and their imaginations for over a century.  These are also the same reasons I love jazz, soul, and funk – genres of a clearly American tradition that draw their appeal from many of the same fundamental musical elements with which Stravinsky built his masterpiece.  While these American styles are very different from Stravinsky’s sound world, they are all very similar at their core.  My piece for wind ensemble, Igor Drives the Bus, is an exploration of this relationship in a light, entertaining manner.  I take melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic themes from the Rite and place them in the context of a modified American big band.  The ensemble is on a fun ride through a variety of styles, and Igor is the one driving the bus.

Igor Drives The Bus (Samples)

MVDS

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