All Things Majestic
Score title
All Things Majestic
Composer
Jennifer Higdon
More about the composer
Date
Instrumentation
Library copy
Program note
Having grown up in the shadow of the Smoky Mountains, and having hiked many of our parks, I have come to the conclusion that the National Parks are one of America’s greatest treasures. So when asked by the Grand Teton Music Festival if I would compose a work to commemorate the festival’s 50th anniversary, I jumped at the chance. “All Things Majestic” is a tribute to not only the festival and it’s home, the Tetons, but also to the grandeur and majesty of all of our parks.
In this work, each movement represents a musical postcard: the first, the grandeur of the mountain ranges, with their size and sheer boldness, and the solidity with which they fill the ground and air; the second, the lakes and the exquisite mirrorquality of reflection upon their serene surfaces; the third, the rapid flow, and unpredictability of the rivers and streams…ever-changing and powerful, yet at times, gentle; the final movement pictures the experience of being in the parks, as in a vast cathedral…the beauty of small details such as flowers and plants, within the larger picture of forests and fields…every part contributing to the sheer majesty.
In this work, each movement represents a musical postcard: the first, the grandeur of the mountain ranges, with their size and sheer boldness, and the solidity with which they fill the ground and air; the second, the lakes and the exquisite mirrorquality of reflection upon their serene surfaces; the third, the rapid flow, and unpredictability of the rivers and streams…ever-changing and powerful, yet at times, gentle; the final movement pictures the experience of being in the parks, as in a vast cathedral…the beauty of small details such as flowers and plants, within the larger picture of forests and fields…every part contributing to the sheer majesty.