Flames of the Sunset, AF 84

Aidan Feeney (Class of 2026) is pursuing a major in Music Composition and minors in Conducting and Business Management.

Growing up near Lake Michigan in Northwest Indiana, some of my fondest memories are sitting on the beach and watching the sun set behind the hazy silhouette of Chicago which sits just on the horizon. The scene itself was always very picturesque, but the most stunning part of the whole experience was always the play of colors that the sunset put on in its different stages. As it approaches late afternoon, the light in the surrounding air begins to almost tangibly glow yellow-orange, but the sky is still the blue of day. Eventually, as if contagiously, this glow extends to the sky, and by degrees becomes more and more powerful as the sun approaches the horizon. The closer it gets, the more brilliant hues of bright orange, red, and purple emerge at their brightest. But then, as the sun finally begins to touch the horizon, the light and colors fade quickly away into night as if washing away sidewalk chalk-drawings. This piece seeks to capture this progression in an impressionistic way: by communicating the impressions created by the light itself, a sort of musical version of the techniques of Monet. This piece was written for SOLI Chamber Ensemble on their Wet Ink concert series at the 2024 Alba Music Festival in Alba, Italy.