Mountain

Mountain: A Portrait in Three Parts consists of three programmatic movements for Wind Orchestra, which combine to form a depiction of the Australian landscape. Each movement focuses on an aspect of the Mountain's story: its creation; its grandeur; and its ever-changing surface. I. A Galaxy Reflected In Water A Galaxy shimmers as if reflected in rippling water. One by one, stars fall like droplets, and they coalesce into the shape of a giant serpent. Slowly, as if still tethered to the stars, it slithers further downward. The tether breaks - the snake crashes into the earth - its massive form carves frantically through stone and dirt and dust, leaving rivers and mountains in its wake until finally, it reaches the sea. In the aftermath, a Mountain is born. II. Gentle Hands Turn the Dirt The mountain, staggering in its immensity, stands above all things. The wind howls across the gully, weeping like the spirits of those departed. Rocks crumble and fall far below. A bird takes flight from its nest. The profile of the mountain is slowly and carefully shaped by the wind, the rain, the footsteps, and the forest. The Mountain stands strong - never moving, but always changing. III. The Mountain is a Beacon Wandering flames ignite. Raptors circle in the sky at the firefront, waiting for their prey to appear as it runs from the flames. Choked by the thick smoke, trees squeal and crackle as the blistering flames rip through the scrubland. Charred limbs of trees detach and come crashing to the ground. The Mountain burns bright for days as it is reshaped by fiery fingers.