three north american landscapes

PROGRAM NOTES

When writing my Symphony No. 2: The Song of the Mountains, I developed a spiritual connection to the mountains. I previously had visions that would torment me, which occurred from the time I was a teenager into my 30’s. In the process of writing Symphony No. 2, my visions transformed into visions of mountains singing to me. These visions are profound spiritual experiences that have altered the course of my life. It has led to uncharted productivity and creativity in my life as a composer as well. I am only connected to very specific mountain ranges, and the three movements of this work are of three separate visions I had looking at the Sierra Madres in Puerto Vallarta, the Bitterroot Range in Montana, and the mountains in Glacier National Park.

While on the boat to Yelapa from Puerto Vallarta, I had a vision of the mountains singing a multi-voice canon that resembles the waves of the ocean beside the Sierra Madres. The canon reaches its climax, ebbing and flowing like the waves of the ocean. The rise and fall of the lines in this movement resemble the arches of the Sierra Madres, painting the picture of a mountain choir in song. 

The second movement, The Bitterroot Valley, depicts the main mountain range that sings to me, the Bitterroot Range in Hamilton, Montana. The movement was inspired by watching a beautiful sunset over the Bitterroots. It is depicted with the sounds of birdsong that often accompany my visions, among them black-capped chickadees and robins. 

The third movement was inspired while watching a stunning sunset from Logan Pass in Glacier National Park. The movement is a complicated canon composed of canonic suspensions that paint the colors of the sunset bleeding into each other. The movement depicts the surroundings as well, massive mountains carved out by glaciers over the millenia. The movement reaches its climax and slowly retreats, depicting the end of the sunset and the glaciers that formed these majestic mountains.

GRADE 4