I have been working feverishly on the final movement of “The Mystics,” entitled “Al-Qaum – ‘God of War & Night.'” As the god of night, it seems fitting that this last night officially marked the completion of my unaccompanied duet for soprano saxophone and trumpet. I use the word ‘completion’ sparingly – while the approximately 9 minute work is mostly locked and edited, there is still so much yet to do after the collaborative rehearsals and performances (I am far from a flawless composer).
The original goal for this piece was to produce a work slightly under 20 minutes, as requested by Ann Bradfield for her slot at the North American Saxophone Alliance Region 2 Conference in Long Beach, California, where it will receive its world premiere (exciting!). Though it has fallen much shorter than expected, I feel that if I had made it longer it would have been redundant.
I grabbed a screenshot of my favorite part below:
Image and music copyright 2013 FDPublications. All rights reserved.
I cannot wait to hear the premiere, produce the official recording, and release the piece for public sale! This has been a long and difficult work for me, and I am eager to share my new music with all of you!
Fortunately, I have been commissioned by Richard Hall (Principal Bassoonist of the ENMU Wind Symphony) to write a sonatina for bassoon and piano, which will be premiered in about a month. Though I have been diligently jotting down motifs and ideas, “The Mystics” has consumed most of my attention, with the performance only two weeks away!
So, now to switch gears, and write a bassoon sonatina…