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The seer

concerto for bassoon and wind ensemble (2017), 18'

PIANO REDUCTION JANUARY 2023 (and ver. for euphonium, baritone saxophone, and bass clarinet soon after!!)

premiered by Luke Varland (bassoon) and the North Texas Wind Symphony, Denton, TX

          The Seer is a programmatic concerto, depicting the story of one gifted with visions of things to come. The first movement begins as the Seer (played by the bassoonist) speaks to a crowd, exclaiming the fantastic things he has seen. However, while orating, a new vision begins to emerge in his mind, one of dread forcing the Seer to run away. Despite all efforts, he realizes that he must face the full sight of what he is seeing in his mind. The second movement begins with stillness, as the Seer imagines events unfolding, fighting back with hope, yet ultimately sinking into defeat, wandering on. In the third movement, the Seer finds himself alone in an empty cathedral at night, at a loss, seeking guidance. From lament, to anger, to defiance, he rails against fate as a still, small voice breaks through. The echoes he hears between his cries comes from Thomas Tallis’ When Shall My Sorrowful Sighing Slack, letting the Seer know his plight is heard and, somehow, not all is lost. The final movement is the Seer’s declamation that there is hope and he is ultimately the master of his own fate.
          At the heart of this work is experiences many of us go through. From crumbling relationships to sudden violent illness, circumstances suddenly arise that test our limits. However, it is through these trials that we learn that there is light and that hope is worth fighting for.

Tallis text quoted:

When shall my sorrowful sighing slack?...
When shall my woeful wailing cease?...
When shall the mind find quiet rest?...


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