Trailing Wings (2019)

for Saxophone and Winds

Duration: 8 min

Commissioned by Maryland Wind Festival

Instrumentation

Solo Saxophone, 2 Flutes, 3 Clarinets, 3 Horns, 2 Bassoons

Program Note

In Trailing Wings, I imagined a concertino in which the ensemble behaves like a flock of birds. The leader of this flock is the saxophone, which constantly inspires activity in the rest of the instruments. In the first movement, “Waking Music”, the saxophone gradually convinces the ensemble to wake from slumber. In the second movement, “Flight”, the saxophone darts about, with the other instruments always slightly behind. The saxophone is the perfect instrument to guide the rest of the winds – it is as agile as the flutes, as sweet as the clarinets, and as powerful as the horns.

Performances

7/2019 - Tyler Austin, conductor; Maryland Chamber Winds