First Version - January 9, 2023
Second Version - January 25, 2023
Latest Version - July 4, 2023
2 Flutes
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets in B-flat
2 Bassoons
2 Horns in F
Trumpet in B-flat
2 Trombones
Timpani
Snare Drum
Harp
Violins I
Violins II
Violas
Violoncellos
Double Basses
Artists - John MacLachlan (composer)
Movements - N/A
Duration - 4'45"
Difficulty - Medium
Composition Opportunity - Vancouver Academy of Music Young Composers' Competition 2023 (winner, intermediate category)
This piece depicts a boat trip. The initial thematic material contrasting D-minor and D major represents waves. After this, a flowing melody in C-minor against a mechanical bassline implying C-major, evokes the image of rowing along a river. This section gradually builds up to a rhythmically-strict section that retains the prior section’s juxtaposition of E and E-flat. The “racing” section ends with a clarinet solo into the “sea sickness” section, with interplay between triplets and duplets and various time signatures. Following “sea sickness,” the initial “waves” motive returns at a faster tempo. In this section, meant to depict a storm, the snare drum represents the drone of thunder, and thematic material is borrowed from “sea sickness.” These waves finally settle, and the trumpet that helped begin the piece is the only instrument to play the final note.
Group - Vancouver Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra
Festival/Concert - Vancouver Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra Next Generation B.C. 2023
Venue - Orpheum Theatre, 601 Smithe St., Vancouver, B.C.
Date - October 8, 2023