Instrumentation: reed quintet (Ob., Cl., A Sax., Bsn., B.Cl.)

Duration: 10’

Recognitions: Honorable Mention in Fivemind Reeds’ 2023 Call for Scores recording competition

Program notes

The music from ballets is some of my favorite on the planet—Tchaikovsky’s and Prokofiev’s in particular. The fecundity of invention and the downright symphonic way themes and motifs are developed over two hours keeps me coming back. The most effective music paints a dramatic arc without relying on dancers or a libretto, and that’s what I try to do here—write music unencumbered by actual connection to an explicit story, or a ballet for that matter... though the music is spirited and danceable.

This music is written as a suite because I wanted to keep it short and leave the details of the non-existent story up to the listener’s imagination. It’s written for reed quintet because I find the reed family of instruments (solo and in combination) are the best at personifying distinct characters—from noble to diabolical, from pensive to exuberant. With the canvas of the reed quintet, all of the classic narrative ingredients are there—hero, villain, sidekick, and some kind of climax where it all comes together.

I. Villain

II. Hero

III. Sidekick

IV. Conflict

V. Apotheosis