In his fantasy "The Great Journey 1492 - Columbus", Pavel Stanék impressively turns an important historical event into sound.
He dedicated the piece to the Filarmonia Sestrese (Italy) on the occasion of the Columbus celebrations in 1992.
Spain in the Middle Ages:
Christopher Columbus leaves for India. But instead he will discover America.
A medieval prayer is heard before departure, and a signal calls people to the port, where the ships are loaded for the long journey. Finally they set sail, the waves rock them around in 6/8 time, sometimes stronger, sometimes milder. A lull finally increases the tension, because it announces the impending violent storm.
After the storm, land is finally in sight and the sailors cheer with joy. The prayer motif sounds, this time in thanksgiving for the safe arrival. The discovery of the New World is celebrated in the hymn of the finale.
Stanék does not trace the earth-shattering events of the year 1492 with historical accuracy, but develops his own dramaturgy, which results from the interplay of keys, movements and tempi, the orchestral timbres and the inner-musical tension curve.
He also writes in the preface to the piece as a request to the conductors:
"Don't torment your musicians with every single note, especially in the 'storm' part. Shape this according to your personal ideas. Of course it is important that the horns, trombones and tubas play their part convincingly, but that creates the illusion of the storm percussion register."
Keywords
Adventure
America
Christopher Columbus
Classical Elements (Earth, Water, Air, Fire)
Combinable: accordion orchestra + wind orchestra
Contest / Competition
Expedition
German Contest List
German Contest List
Global Tour
Legend
Pirate
Sailor / Seaman / Mariner
Sea / Ocean
Seven seas / Oceans
Ship / Vessel
Storm
SWA (Swiss Windband Association) List of Contest Pieces