Forest Suite
(1989)
John's Thoughts
Ok, where the hell is the IMAX film just waiting for this theme? I went to Yosemite with my parents and was so taken with it, that I set out to write a symphony about the forest. I began writing it in 1989 (just after I wrote my first independent piece of music, "Pink Mist"), and finished the mockup a few months later. The first movement was to be the dawn and then reflecting the playfulness of the animals in the forest. The second was to address the grandeur of the forest. The third movement was to be The Storm where great tragedy and upheaval scars the paradise. And the final movement was resolution where new life sprung and nature reclaimed the damage it caused. Unfortunately I only ended up doing the second movement and then adapted it to be a little suite. This is definitely something that I must have recorded with the real orchestra and major "loose end" in my brain until this has been accomplished. I just wish I had the time to write the whole symphony. Any commissions out there interested? This mock-up was, of course, with my primitive early midi set-up. Be patient, the big swell of the actual theme comes in after a long intro.
Play the MP3 excerpt here.