top of page

Theia

Level:

5

Duration:

20:48

Instrumentation:

wind band

concert work, contest piece

Type

Buy Wind Version
Buy Fanfare Version
Buy Brass Version
View Wind PDF
View Fanfare PDF
View Brass PDF

The title of the piece refers to the Greek Goddess of heavenly light Theia.
Central to the composition is the light at 3 different moments during the day: morning light, the light during mist and rain (in the day) and moonlight (at night).

In this way, 3 extremely beautiful locations in Western Germany are examined in different light settings:
- Sonnenaufgang über den Eifel bergen - Sunrise on the Eifel Mountain
- Impressionen vom Hunsrück - Impressions of the Hunsrück
- Mondschein über der Mosel - Moonlight on the Moselle

The music is not narrative and tries merely to summon up the atmosphere of the moment and the beauty of the landscape.

The (falling) fifth motive which is also contained in the letters of “Theia” (H-E and E-A) functions as a musical building block for the first part. Solos with a range of instruments expand on the basis of this fifth motive until they become a grand tutti in the entire orchestra. The morning sun gradually climbs higher and the colours of the Eifel (mountain) become ever more beautiful and imposing as a result of its brightening light.

In the second part, an almost magical colour and chord palette summon up the atmosphere of thick mist in the woods and on the high plains of Hunsrück. Raindrops fall and the mist slowly rises. Gradually the flora and fauna in the forest come to life in a burlesque (rain) dance with irregular timing. The chord series of the mist surfaces once more and flows into a grandiose choral theme. To close this part, the theme of raindrops gently spattering around resounds for the last time.

Part 3 sees the Moselle (river) rippling romantically by the soft light of the moon. A lilting theme is developed musically in an original musical style. A short storm passage is gradually created from this nostalgic sounding start, referring to the history of flooding associated with this river. This storm flows into a grandiose tutti passage which summons up a masterful Moselle panorama. A melancholic flute solo sees the river gently rippling onwards, while the fifth motive from part 1 surfaces once again: the river of music comes to an end in an endless silence.

This poetic work was written for the 50-year jubilee of the Kreismusikverbands Bernkastel-Wittlich e.v.

bottom of page