Description
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Movement 1 of Symphony #1 "H2O".
This opening movement to my first Symphony, tells the story of the great rivers. It chronicles the life of a river from the very tiny melting icicles that become droplets of water that join together. This is the birth of the great river, and as more and more melting ice adds water to the tiny stream, momentum grows and the water begins to move, ever so gradually quicker and quicker. Some time passes and the tiny stream has become a small river with flowing currents and rivulets joining in to swell the now accelerating flow. There then comes a point where the river has grown to quite a size and it succumbs to gravity as it cascades over a precipice forming a magnificent waterfall.
There is a darker and more mysterious quality to the river now as it winds its way through a shaded valley between two mountain peaks. Eventually it opens out onto a vast, expansive floodplain where momentum and the force of the moving water is so spread out that it seems to be almost still water, and yet it still has life and will inexorably move towards the coast to empty into our great oceans.
As is often the case in the natural realm, however, great rivers also have a threatening part of their story. Sometimes there is so much water added to the river through enormous downpours and tropical storms that it becomes an unstoppable force. The flood is full of power, might and anger. There is a majesty to a flooding river, which sits uncomfortably with the destruction being caused as it rends asunder everything it touches. Finally, the flood subsides and the immense amount of water lying on the land in the aftermath gives new life to that which it tried to destroy.
The great rivers are the bringers of life for humanity, the animal kingdom and the trees and grasses which rely on them to exist. Our rivers must be protected, rejuvenated, and respected if we are to have access to the water which sustains all forms of life.
Duration 9:45 min
Instrumentation: Picc, Fl 1 2, Ob 1 2, Cor Ang, Bsn 1 2, CBsn, Cl 1 2 3, Bs Cl, A Sx 1 2, T Sx, B Sx, F Hn 1 2 3 4, Tpt 1 2 3, Tbn 1 2, B Tbn, Euph, Tba, Dbl Bs, Tymp, BD, Tt, Cym, Glock, Mar, Vib, Crot, Piano (opt.), Pipe Organ (opt.)