Boundless River - Concert Band

Rivers of all kinds - large or small, rapid or meandering, winding or straight - are life affirming. Their endless flow evokes a sense of infinity. I find it comforting to know they flowed long before humans inhabited the planet and will continue to do so long after we leave this earth. One in particular, the Mississippi River, occupies a special place in my heart, as, having lived a good portion of my childhood not a mile from its banks, I am always nostalgic thinking of it. I love it especially for its unhurried, quiet dignity.

Boundless River for concert band is inspired both by feelings of nostalgia and the sense of infinity that rivers suggest to me. The work's main theme, first stated by the clarinets, meanders gently - rising and falling from phrase to phrase. The music breathes, ebbs and flows, rises and falls in gentle waves of sound. Sometimes it suggests a peaceful meditation; other times it cries out. Still other times it sparkles like rivulets of water reflecting sunlight. It ends as it began, flowingly, peacefilly, with life affirming dignity.