One of the main works on the Fall program is Sidus, by Thomas Doss. Born in Linz, Austria, with both parents as professional musicians, he has been studying music since age 7. He's been composing since age 11.
I gotta say, the guy is good.
Sidus is growing on me, big time. Now, there are some non-traditional parts of this piece. Measures that are 'timed' in terms of seconds (eg 15-sec, 20 sec), rather than your traditional four-beats. There are also measures where the band sings, hisses (part reads "S___" and you say "Essssssssssssss"), shushes (part reads "Sh_____" and you say "Shhhhhhhhhh") and even whistle. It's different.
I think this was slightly intimidating to the ensemble at first, because we started rehearsing at this section with little to no context about the piece. But after a few times of running the whole thing down, it starts to make sense. Sidus has all the elements of a great film score - lush melodies, action-oriented musical sequences and brilliant fanfares. This piece changes character so many times over it's course, you might think it needs psychiatric care. But, I know it will have you on the edge of your seat.
You can hear a sample of Sidus by clicking here
Perhaps the composer said it best...
"Music makes us grasp our finiteness and glimpse at infinity. " - Thomas Doss
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1 comment:
Sidus has grown on me, too. It has some truly gorgeous moments. I think the audience will like it.
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