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"The Road Returning" was commissioned by the Melbourne Rainbow Band in 2019 and the piece tells the story of musicians who grow up in rural or regional areas of Australia and have to move to the City to pursue study or careers.
The sounds of the countryside are captured in the opening and closing sections of the work with the middle section providing a representation of the fast-paced lifestyle of the City. The uneven pulse of the main body of the work represents a feeling of discomfort for the listener and performer alike, but the repetitive nature of the pulse becomes more comfortable and familiar as the piece progresses. This is indicative of the gradual growth in comfort that comes when we live in the City for a period of time. The closing section of the work is identical to the opening and signifies the pull on the heart strings to return to the country from time to time to reconnect with our roots.
This "Road Returning" is something musicians feel keenly throughout their lives and the composer has often returned to Far North Queensland, a place where he stills feels at home in a nostalgic way.
Duration 5:00 min
Instrumentation: Picc, Fl 1 2, Ob, Bsn, Cl 1 2 3, Bs Cl, A Sx 1 2, T Sx, B Sx, Hn 1 2, Tpt 1 2 3, Tbn 1 2, Bs Tbn, Euph, Tuba, Percussion (see score preview pages)