Four Canadian Sketches for Orchestra

Description

Four Canadian Sketches for Orchestra

This is an arrangement forOrchestra  of my Flute Octet of the same name. It is intended for pro/semi-pro players.  There is quite a bit for the percussion to do which took some doing as the original had none.

The four movements represent my thoughts about Canada and its peopl bearing in mind that I’ve never been to Canada, nor have I physically met any Canadians (lots online, of course 🙂 )

1. March for the Frontiersmen: Canada has a lot of wilderness that has not been spoiled by man. This movement represents the rugged frontiersmen pushing through the Canadian forests.

2. The Great White Cold: I imagined the bitter freezing cold and icy beauty of Canadian winters (not that I have ever experienced such) and I used some slightly unusual techniques to create the impression of a cold wind blowing across the arctic scenery.

3. Campfire Songs: I had this vision of the great outdoors with Canadian families going camping in the mountainous regions sitting round their campfire at night and singing songs. I had no idea at the time whether Canadians were campfire songsters or what kinds of songs they might choose, so I selected a number of ’folk’ songs from the “Great Canadian Tune Book” and incorporated them into this movement.

4. The New Found Land: This movement moves to Canada’s eastern seaboard and I imagined new emigrants to the country arriving at a busy harbour and seeing all the hustle and bustle of a lively community and sea port. With some difficulty the debarkees find their land legs but then become absorbed in the lively new world to which they have moved.