Yeah, well, “it’s finished” in the sense of any creation that remains in the forefront of the creator’s consciousness. I’m never finished, I’ve just decided to stop working on it, for now. There may be small changes, but I’m very content with the results, enough so that I am comfortable sharing it with you.

Like all of my projects, there is a list of firsts associated with this one.

• The ensemble — I have learned so much about writing for brass! I’m hoping I’ve done a good job of exploiting each instrument’s assets, and the possibilities that combining them together brings. Although I only have a software export, the sound of that is good enough to give me reason for optimism that real instruments will sound even better.
• The work’s format — Although I’ve dabbled in “Theme and Variation” before, this is my first attempt at producing a long-ish composition solely in this style. And, probably more than any of my other works, I’ve tried to document every fragment, every idea, every milestone along the way. The hoped-for result is that the listener can be fully drawn into the process used to design such a work.
• Continuity, in pieces — Since I’ve consciously split up the work into variations (with titles, even!), I’ve explored how to create a single, flowing piece of music which consists of distinct parts. I’m hoping the lessons here will help me in making a larger work — perhaps a 40 minute symphony? — an interesting and listenable experience, with enough built-in and accessible artistic parts to make such a long journey pleasurable and attractive.

Listen for yourself! To follow the whole journey, go to the project’s home page. If you just want to listen (and otherwise ignore the verbal excesses of the music’s creator) go to the simple playback page. Since this page has comments turned on, by all means leave one here and tell me what you think!