Symphony for Band: Beyond the Elusive Dream (2018)

Read and recorded by the George Mason Wind Symphony in November 2019.
Currently a semifinalist in the wind band division of the 2021 American Prize Composition Contest.

The full premiere performance by the Luftwaffenmusikkorps Erfurt under the direction of Tobias Wunderle is available on Spotify.

Program Notes

Symphony for Band: Beyond the Elusive Dream is a work about landing gracefully and moving on when things don't go according to plan. The symphony follows a mostly traditional four-movement symphonic structure, but the use of progressive tonality underscores the idea of moving in a new direction after a negative experience. The themes in each of the four movements are united by a descending four-note motif, symbolizing a fall. Along similar lines, the main key areas of each of the four movements roughly follow the same descending four-note motif at the macro level: the first movement is mostly in D minor, the second and third movements are in C minor and B-flat minor, respectively, and the fourth settles in A-flat major. 

The very beginning of the piece strongly suggests that the piece will be in D-flat major, representing the "promise and expectation" referred to in the title of the first movement. The expectation of settling in D-flat major, however, is quickly thwarted when the woodwinds introduce the intense principle theme in D minor. At certain points, the principle theme alludes to a preexisting piece of music, which most listeners will not recognize, although they should feel free to try to guess what it is! The more peaceful second theme offers a brief respite from the turmoil that preceded it, but the promised key of D-flat major remains far away. The development section offers a glimmer of hope when the second theme appears in D-flat major, but the seeming victory proves illusory as the music quickly slides into other key areas before settling back in D minor. The idyllic second theme does not return in the recapitulation. 

The second movement ("Denial") plods along obstinately, representing an unwillingness to accept the fact that the composer's dream cannot be realized. D-flat major chords appear throughout, but they always wind up sliding back down to C minor. With its mixed meters of 5/8 and 3/4, the middle section contrasts markedly from the outer sections, perhaps giving the feeling of stubbornly trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. 

Denial gives way to sadness and anger in the third movement, "Lamentation." The first few notes of the sorrowful chorale theme contain the symphony's descending motif and also allude to Bach's O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden, underscoring the movement's connection to the theme of suffering. The contrasting second theme in D-flat major is a nostalgic look back at the dream, but the composer knows it can’t last. The movement reaches an anguished fortississimo climax before the sadness of the opening returns in B-flat minor, and the final chime notes on B-flat symbolize acceptance. 

In the introduction to the Finale, the trumpets land on a D-flat chord, but the chord is recontextualized as part of an E-flat 11 chord when the E-flat bass note enters underneath it: the failure of the dream has been integrated and used as a springboard into the new territory represented by the key of A-flat major. Although the original dream was never realized, the new reality is a positive one. Woodwind flourishes accompany uplifting brass fanfares as the symphony draws to a triumphant conclusion.

— Ted Messerschmidt