For my Secret Santa entry, I had to describe a world in which all the adults had succumbed to a global pandemic (COVID-19, anyone?), leaving the children alive and alone to fend for themselves and shape the planet they had unwittingly inherited. Though this is a fanciful scenario, psychologically this fear of loss of protection and "parental" guidance is not so farfetched. What would happen if all of that were stripped away? (It invariably is many times throughout our lives.) So that's what this work aims to delve into.
I did not intend to get so carried away with this project. I wanted it to be just a few minutes long, with maybe one or two thematic developments... but the creative flame took hold and I'm helpless to resist its overlordish demands. Sigh. So here you have my first attempt at a "traditional" symphony. Not quite as long or extensive (thank God!) but an attempt nonetheless.
As is my usual wont, the music is built around the 4th mode of limited transposition—a symmetrical scale whose harmonic progressions depend largely on augmented 4ths/diminished 5ths. Lots of dissonance, tons of quartal harmonies, and perhaps a bit of atonality in places, but I'm not apologizing. The work is extremely tonal—or maybe modal is a better word—it just explores some chords and progressions that aren't very CPP.
No score yet... still working on the final two sections, hope to post it and them soon. But I wanted you guys to have something to listen to, since today is the deadline after all. Still working on the score, but the symphony is, by and large, finished.
Great topic, definitely fed my creativity! Let me know what could be improved, or what you liked/disliked, as you listen to this. Thanks for bearing with me, and happy listening!