PILGRIMATIC OVERTURE
2+picc . 2+eh . 2+bcl . 2+cbn / 4 . 3 . 3 . 1 / timp . 3perc . pno / str
2+picc . 2+eh . 2+bcl . 2+cbn / 4 . 3 . 3 . 1 / timp . 3perc . pno / str
When I first completed this piece in January 2020, I had no idea what was just around the corner. In the ensuing weeks, a global pandemic gripped the world in a way I would not have thought possible—a pandemic that is still affecting millions of lives, even as I write this. Reflecting on this piece in light of the pandemic, I am surprised at how relevant its theme is for these times. A year ago, when I first began composing the piece, I had simply envisioned a forceful, uplifting concert opener without a specific, real-world story. (“Pilgrimatic, but not programmatic, a narrative of tension and release,” my original notes read.) But now, as many face an uncertain future, I would like to offer a message with this composition—a message of hope to those who are sick, mourning, and unemployed, to those yearning to be with others and make music once more. In this Pilgrimatic Overture, an optimistic main theme is repeatedly challenged by a grim, chaotic, anxious motif. The struggle that arises between this motif and the emotionally varied iterations of the main theme last throughout the entire work, but the conflict does swell to a point of despair. From the shards of musical fallout after this catastrophic climax, the main theme arises once again—tentatively, at first—but eventually emboldened, reassured, and more grounded than before. I believe that we, too, as human beings, can do the same, as we persevere in this time of trial, trusting in the hope of emerging as a stronger and more united world. —Jacob Beranek, October 2020 |
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