"Fields of Grain as Seen from a Train" is a work for concert band by Timothy Mahr based on the painting of the same title by early American abstract painter Arthur Dove.  It was commissioned by Tom Davis and his fine ensemble in Canandaigua, NY, which is where Arthur Dove was born.  The image for this page is the Dove painting.

This fine recording was produced in Japan by the Atsugi High School Wind Symphony, under the baton of Tetsuya Nakayama, one of the few true champions of my music.  They sound fantastic!!

I have always been intrigued by the different senses of speed one experiences visually when looking out at a landscape from a moving vehicle (say a band tour bus...).  Mountains on the horizon seem stationary, while the mid-distance structures and features move moderately across one's field of vision.  The gravel and plants at the shoulder of the road or train tracks is just a blur.  I carried this idea of multiple senses of time and speed into the composition of the work.

TIMOTHY MAHR: Fields of Grain as Seen from a Train

Timothy Mahr