"Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split cloys -
and done a hundred things you have not dreamed of -
wheeled and soared and swung high in the sunlit silence.
Hovering there I've chased the shouting wind along
and flung my eager craft through the footless halls of air.
"Up, up the long delirious blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace,
where never lark, or even eagle, flew;
and, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
the high untresspassed sanctity of space,
put out my hand and touched the face of God."
This was definitely a new experience for me. Not only writing with a narrator, which I had to be very careful and creative with, but also using a full orchestra, complete with trios of winds, low brass, and percussion. I have dreamed of writing for full orchestra for a while, and I'm glad I got my chance to do so. And I think it sounds pretty amazing, so I can't wait to show it to everyone.
That's all I can say about it at the moment. The premiere is actually a secret, meant to surprise someone who will be in attendance of a certain concert. Once it happens, I can tell you all about it.
In other news, notice that I updated my homepage with a few new concert dates. Definitely try to come to the collaborative concert of the Saratoga Orchestra and the Seattle Collaborative Orchestra. We are playing one heck of a program, including Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis and Walt Wagner's amazing Miracle Piano Concerto. I'll be playing principal horn at this concert, hoping to make a good impression in front of a bunch of musicians I've never met before.
Take care and value music.