Whirlwind (for trombone quartet) by KrisPeysen

Program note:

My main concept of this piece was formal in nature. The idea in question was simple: a gradual increase in energy and intensity from beginning to end, finally culminating in an explosion, a feeling of everything drawing to a red-hot point. What I found interesting about this particular formal idea is that it owes more to rock music than to classical – indeed, it was listening to various rock songs that undergo this type of transformation that first gave me the idea for this piece. There are numerous songs in the rock world that have this type of formal construction (i.e. Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin, One and The Day That Never Comes by Metallica, Starless by King Crimson, more Tool songs than I’d care to name, etc.) but when it comes to pieces in the classical realm that do the same thing, I was hard pressed to name even one. The reason for this, I believe, is that whether it’s sonata form, traditional fast-slow-fast arrangement of movements or sections of pieces, or even general treatment of musical themes, the idea of return is thoroughly ingrained in classical sensibilities, and this idea would of necessity preclude the type of form described above.

What I wanted to do was to create a piece with this formal idea taken straight from the rock world, but with a “syntax” that was firmly planted in the traditions of classical music. The result is a piece that gets carried by its own momentum, and as such, has little room for backward glances. That said, there are definitely themes and other musical ideas that get developed and transformed throughout the piece. It is a fusion of sorts, one that I hope is both fresh and invigorating.

Link to score:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/g7lh2bvjhxlurua/Whirlwind.pdf?dl=0