The Coast
I’d originally intended to title this section “Microcosm,” or something suitably scientific. That didn’t fit well with the other four section titles. The composition’s program concept would push things in this section to the microscopic level such as would be common in tidal pools. There, things are small but still quite active! This was my inspiration, and the section starts out small but busy, but the focus for this section is mostly musical.
Traditionally, composers bring things to a close through a recapitulation of previous motific content. That happens here, specifically leaning into the “self-similarity” of all five sections. The solo strings which appeared at the end of “Beach” provide the transition to an introduction of the fifth section with material from “Aloft,” including the opening theme originally played by the piccolo, but now carried by an English Horn. The other thematic material appears in a gradually building and increasing instrumental treatment to a familiar end sequence from “Storm.” In the process, motific content from all five of the sections make appearances, though some of them are buried in the mix.
The video clip below is of the full video, only started at the beginning of Section 5, “Footprints.”
Jeffrey L. Jones, Composer 