First Version - May 5, 2026
Latest Version - May 20, 2026
3 Flutes (III – Alto Flute, Piccolo)
3 Oboes (III – English Horn)
3 Clarinets in B-flat (III – Bass Clarinet, Clarinet in E-flat)
3 Bassoons (III – Contrabassoon)
4 Horns in F
3 Trumpets in C (Straight Mutes)
2 Tenor Trombones (Straight Mutes)
Bass Trombone (Straight Mute)
Tuba (Mute)
Timpani
Bass Drum, Snare Drum, Large Gong, Clash Cymbal, Suspended Cymbal, Conga, Bongos (Bow)
Marimba, Vibraphone (Bow)
Xylophone, Glockenspiel, Crotales, and Chimes (Bow)
Piano, Celesta
Harp
14 Violins I
12 Violins II
10 Violas
8 Violoncellos
6 Double Basses
Artists - John MacLachlan (composer)
Movements - N/A
Duration - 7'30"
Difficulty - High
Composition Opportunity - Thessaloniki Art and Music Summit 2026
As Orpheus doubted his wife and looked back to see if she was following him out of Hades, Peripeteia, which refers to a sudden reversal of circumstances, explores the turmoil of a man contemplating his religious doubts. The piece begins with a pensive theme as the spiritual warfare motive gradually encroaches, leading into the storm, Zeus’s theme, which uses low timbres and represents evil overcoming the mind. After a moment, the man returns to meditating. His doubts return, with his spirit shaken in Poseidon’s theme, featuring sweeping scales, like waves crashing against crumbling shores. Here, the winds carry a melody that evokes Beethoven as if heard on a poor record player while drunk at sea. The man contemplates reality once more, stepping into the wilderness of the storm and sea, and finally entering Hades’ realm and the death of the heart, with harsh, descending glissandi in the entire orchestra. The piece closes with a final glimmer of hope in a trombone chorale, while the strings remain unsettled.
Group - Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra
Festival/Concert - Thessaloniki Art and Music Summit 2026
Venue - Aristotle University Ceremony Hall, Thessaloniki 546 36, Thessaloniki, Greece
Date - May 29, 2026