Zones

This work was commissioned by the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Josep Caballé Domenech, Music Director, in celebration of its 90th anniversary. This piece moves from the deep of the two oceans surrounding the country and works its way up to the highest mountain peaks and alpine zones. The title Zones describes these various layers of both ocean and land. The piece begins with an animated introduction, which quickly dissipates and we are left with only the sounds of air coming from the wind instruments. The piece then moves through various zones, beginning in the deep ocean (The Trenches and the Abyss), then to the Twilight and Midnight Zones (slightly shallower), then to the Sunlight Zone (very shallow), and finally onto land and upward to the Alpine Zone. These various layers/zones served only as initial inspirations for the piece, but ultimately, the music progresses on its own terms. This work will be incorporated into a larger 32-minute, 3-movement work for orchestra entitled Strata, though it can be performed as an individual piece. - Pierre Jalbert