DAY’S END
Grade 4
Wind Ensemble - 8 min - 2022
Chapman University Wind Symphony, Mathieu Girardet, music director and conductor
recorded December 1st, 2022, Annie Okuhara, recording engineer
Instrumentation:
Piccolo, Flute 1-2, Oboe 1-2, Bb Clarinet 1-3, Bb Bass Clarinet, Bassoon 1-2, Eb Alto Sax 1-2, Bb Tenor Sax, Eb Baritone Sax, Bb Trumpet 1-3, F Horn 1-4, Trombone 1-3, Euphonium, Tuba, Timpani, Perc 1 (Sus. Cymbal. (med.), Tam-tam (lg.), Marimba (4.3 Octave)), Perc 2 (Mark Tree, Crotales, Bass Drum (lg.)), Perc 3 (Vibraphone, Triangle (med.), Crash Cymbals (med.))
Composed for the Chapman University Wind Symphony, DAY’S END is my first large ensemble piece I have written since enrolling at Chapman. The work is meant to evoke one’s reflection at the end of a long day. Like the various emotions and events experienced during an adventurous day, the music portrays this through a free-moving introduction, heroic yet nostalgic melodies, tinges of dissonance, and dire textures. The remainder of the piece includes a stirring four-note motif, which leads the music to its most vulnerable state, a winding recapitulation, and an optimistic and culminating reprise of the main theme closing the doors of a long day.
From Thomas’s Program Note