Patria

From his many visits to the Allgäu region the young composer Thiemo Kraas of North Rhine-Westphalia noted one particular feature of the people living there: a deep sense of home. When the Legau Community Band commissioned a piece on the occasion of its 225th anniversary, he decided to write a slow composition – an aria – to express this sense of home. He describes how he got the idea for the title Patria: “While researching translations of the word ‘home’ in different languages, I took a closer look at the Italian and realized that it already carries the term ‘aria’ (pAtRIA) in it. The idea for this composition was born!” This touching aria presents the wind band’s soft and delightful side. Flowing melodic lines convey deep serenity and at the same time subtle strength. The different instrumental groups and their varied tone colors merge in an artful way and finally lead to a noble, resounding tutti conclusion.