predators and prey

PROGRAM NOTES

The second movement of my Symphony No. 2, Predators and Prey, is about watching wildlife in Montana. I often see hawks hunting during the day, and the howls of coyotes are frequently heard at night. This movement takes the ending sequence in the first movement and turns it into a fast, chasing octotonic canon. It also features the first appearance of “cloud” canons in the saxophones and clarinets. The ending signals the death of prey with a hammer blow from Mahler’s Symphony No. 6. 

GRADE 6

Instrumentation: Picc., 2 Fl., 2 Ob., 3 Cl., Bs. Cl., Cb. Cl. (Opt. Ca. Cl.), Bsn., Cbsn. (Opt.), Sop. Sx., 2 Alt. Sx., Ten. Sx., Bar. Sx., 3 Tpt., 4 Hn., 2 Tbn., Bs. Tbn., Euph., Tba., Dbl. Bs., Timp., 5+ Perc.