Common Heroes – Uncommon Land

for Brass Quintet

2018

Duration: 20′

A work in five movements:

  1. Citi Hero

  2. Hero of the Land

  3. Joy

  4. Hold Fast to Dreams

  5. Epilogue

Commissioned by The Juilliard School to commemorate 30 years of Residency of the American Brass Quintet

Common Heroes, Uncommon Land speaks of the glory of the everyday. It celebrates the human spirit in its daily routine and uncrushable work ethic. Based on 5 short poems by various poets, each movement explores a particular facet of the American experience. The poems are to be read by the performers before each movement and are an inextricable part of the composition as a whole.

The first movement describes the urban heroes in their dogged morning trek towards work and sustenance. The second honors the farmers in their rural struggle with the land. The third and fourth movements celebrate our common quest for Joy and the noble act of holding fast to dreams. The last movement serves as an epilogue to the work offering an ode to the everyday Heroes and Heroins of our land as they create the future.

Premiere information: The American Brass Quintet, Paul Hall at the The Juilliard School, 2018