| composer: |
Nancy Galbraith (1998) |
 |
| genre: |
wind symphony |
| length: |
1 movement, 8:30 minutes |
| orchestration: |
2fl, pic, 2ob, 3cl (at least 2 per part), 2bs-cl, 2bn;
2a-sax, t-sax, b-sax; 4hn, 6tpt, 3tbn, 2euph, 2tba;
timp, 6perc, string-bass |
| publisher: |
Subito Music Publishing (ASCAP)
60 Depot Street, Verona, NJ 07044
mail@subitomusic.com • 973-857-3440 |
| audio/video: |
|
|
| world premiere: |
14 November 1998
IUP Wind Ensemble • Jack Stamp, conductor
Gorell Recital Hall; Indiana, Pennsylvania |
| composer's note: |
"Elfin Thunderbolt" opens with a fff explosion in the percussion, which then becomes an accompaniment for a brass fanfare. This fanfare-like material is stated in various ways in the opening section. A tranquil woodwind texture follows, under which rich brass chords are expressed. Suddenly the tempo becomes presto. A sprightly melody is stated by the flutes, and eventually passed through all of the woodwinds. Following a ritardando, the tranquil woodwind texture returns. All motion comes to a halt, until a ppp snare drum announces the final ascent to the thunderous conclusion. —N.G. |
| press bytes: |
Nancy Galbraith delivers a high-energy score with her "Elfin Thunderbolt" (1998). The music drives hard from its opening to a lullaby-like woodwind passage about two-thirds of the way through. The dreaminess is dispatched by the arrival of a snare drum that slowly ratchets the excitement level back to that of the work's opening. —Fanfare Magazine |
