This composition came truly from the music itself. It was not until about three-quarters of the way through completion that I placed a title on the work. The idea is that one might take a journey through a cool wooded area in the evening, arriving at a central clearing that displays all the beauty of the moon. As the moon shines, one hears a noise in the woods and frantically travels back from whence they came. Truly, I wrote the music because I was enjoying writing for writing’s sake. The title is really incidental, so please, by all means enjoy the music and pull from whatever inspiration you might need when performing. I truly enjoyed writing this, I hope you enjoy listening and performing this work!
I began writing this piece with the bassoon in mind, I had no idea how the remainder of the piece would sound, but I had the bassoon statement. In all honesty, for years, I have loved the sound of the bassoon in the upper register. The opening should speak in a stately manner, almost feeling out of time and rather “rubato.” For that matter, so long as the ensemble speaks together, the entire opening can feel slightly rubato. I simply ask the performers to please dramatize the music whenever possible. The quick sections should feel overly playful and contrast in dynamic textures should be extravagant! Please, have fun with the music.