The Winds of Destiny (2021)
for Trombone and Piano
Duration: 12 minutes
PROGRAM NOTE
When setting out to write this piece, I was inspired by the timeless aria from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, “When I am laid in Earth.” I was drawn to the piece because Jessica Butler, the commissioner of my new work, had previously recorded the aria as part of her ongoing project in vocal transcriptions for trombone. You will hear subtle references to the aria throughout the piece, as well as a more overt homage at the end in the form of the ostinato bass line. Purcell of course uses the baroque lament bass line in service of the tragedy: as commanded by the gods, the Trojan leader, Aeneus, must fulfill his destiny and leave Queen Dido in Carthage where she will die broken-hearted. I take a different direction, gradually freeing my ostinato from the bass register––this is not a dirge; we are on a hero’s journey! In contemplating the source material, I have chosen the following quote that, to me, distills the major theme in The Aeneid as the exiled Trojans set sail on “The Winds of Destiny:”
“Fortune Favors the Bold”
Virgil––The Aeneid
Commissioned by: Jessica Butler, Southern Illinois University
and consortium:
Jonathan Allen, University of Iowa
Josh Bynum, University of Georgia
James Decker, Texas Tech University
Bruce Faske, Arkansas State University
Eric High, St. Norbert College
Timothy Myers, St. Louis Symphony
Jim Nova, Pittsburgh Symphony
Gerry Pagano, St. Louis Symphony
Bradley Palmer, Columbus State University
Jonathan Reycraft, St. Louis Symphony
Sterling Tanner, The Ohio State University
Benjamin Yates, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Jay Wise, Omaha Symphony