TOWERING WOODLANDS

tone poem for orchestra

Instrumentation - Flute (dbl. picc./a. fl.) | Clarinet (dbl. bs. clar.) | Bass Clarinet | Bassoon | Trumpet | F Horn | Tenor & Bass Trombone | Percussion | Piano | Strings

difficulty

Moderate - Advanced

Program Note

TOWERING WOODLANDS is a work for orchestra based on the painting by Albert Bierstadt titled Giant Redwood Trees of California.

I have always been fascinated by nature, be it earthly or universal. I spent a half-year in New Zealand, and it was one of the most breathtaking places I’ve ever been, filled with the richest natural sights, towering mountains, water as deep a blue as you could imagine, and more. New Zealand is home to many of these redwood trees, though the most well-known are the Redwood Forests along the coast of California. When doing some research into the redwoods, and their grand presence, I came across this painting by Albert Bierstadt that struck me. I began thinking about creating a piece of music around this painting, in the form of a tone poem, as I see a story here. For the work, the sounds of the bass clarinet and bassoon immediately came to mind; two of the largest reeded instruments in the orchestra. Their low, foreboding timbres really speak “huge tree” to me, so you will hear them featured many times throughout the work, often intertwining. Utilizing the different textures and timbres throughout the orchestra, this tone poem takes a sonic journey through the world of this work of art, exploring the rugged, towering landscape, the pattering creek through the woods, and various other natural aspects of the California redwood forests.