Description
Duration 3:25min
---------------------------
As The Phoenix... is a programmatic work inspired by the myth of the phoenix—an immortal bird that perishes in fire and is reborn from its ashes. The piece traces this cycle of life, death, and renewal through three connected sections, each representing a chapter in the phoenix’s eternal journey.
The opening (mm. 1–16) depicts the phoenix’s serene ascent. Ethereal upper woodwinds and suspended harmonies create a shimmering, timeless atmosphere, evoking purity, grace, and a creature untouched by time.
The second section (mm. 17–32) marks the descent. A noble flute theme emerges, gradually entwined with woodwinds and tuned percussion as tension builds. A tolling bell motif signals the passage of time and the inevitability of fate. As brass and percussion enter with darker variations of earlier material, martial rhythms convey weariness, prophecy, and approaching destruction.
The third section (mm. 33–40) portrays collapse and ignition. A powerful brass surge and rising bells introduce a bold new theme, while a soaring trumpet line represents the phoenix’s final strength. A shadowed minor chord with a major seventh marks the end of its second life.
From silence, the final section (mm. 41–102) begins: percussion stirs the embers as fragments of earlier themes re-emerge, transformed. Tubular bells now herald renewal, and the horn section restates the opening material with renewed depth and strength. The phoenix rises once more, eternal, radiant, and reborn.
Instrumentation
Flute 1 2, Oboe, Bassoon, Bb Clarinet 1 2, Bass Clarinet, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Bari Sax, F Horn, Bb Trumpet 1 2, Trombone Euphonium (BC & TC), Tuba, Timpani, Snare Drum, Suspended Cymbal, Crash Cymbals, Bass Drum, Tam-tam, Glockenspiel, Tubular Bells