The listener gets introduced to the forest-theme by just pizzicato strings and a flute, but eventually other instruments join them to paint the forest's ambience with more colors. The mischievous fire-theme gets introduced after a rather abrupt, and possibly unexpected, change of mood.

The fire, which brings nothing more than death and destruction leads us to a rather sad toned part, ending in a climax where both elements of the forest-theme as well as the fire-theme are apparent. The piece concludes with a contrast of high strings playing 6 notes of a 'variation' on the forest-theme, while being supported by a monotonous brass party, blowing the final minor chord. It's not a happy ending, but I don't think the picture got one either. :(

Based on a falling motive used in the beginning, in the middle and the end of piece.

The piece is structured around two major motifs: the atonal string figure which opens the piece is the main theme of the fire, while the woodwind melody which ends the piece represents the forest and its inhabitants. Some fragment of one of these motifs is playing at nearly any given time. I don't want to over-literalize the "story" of the piece, since music is so subjective, but suffice to say the music encompasses the entire event, from the first spark which begins the fire to the extinguishment of the final ember. Listen for the motifs and fill in the details yourself.

The photo depicted some deer standing in a shallow river while the wildfire was ravaging through the forest in the background. For the narration, I tried to mirror a dramatic structure often used in documentaries. When documentaries about animals deal with a natural disaster, they often depict it in three parts: the actual disaster, the aftermath where the death and destruction caused by the disaster is shown and the return of life and hope in the affected region after the disaster.

Concordantly, my composition is divided in three parts chronologically dealing with the respective parts. The first part (i.e. the first minute) starts with the scene that is depicted on the photo. Trill and tremolo strings embodies the fires brooding in the background, and as the drums move in and out, the violent and destructive force of nature draws closer.

As the orchestra builds up to a frantic tension part in the second half of the minute, we see the disaster arriving at the scene: The animals flee in horror as the inferno rages around them and consumes everything that is left. A percussive clash ends the first minute, and with the start of the second minute, we jump forward some hours until the next morning.

The fire has moved on, and all that remains is scorched earth. The sun barely manages to get through the smoke clouds, and we see the corpses of countless animals lying on the ground - among them the charred remains of one of the deer from the beginning.

Here, a lamenting elegy for strings and celli accompanies the scenery. The beginning of the last minute marks the return of life to the forest some days later. As brutal and as destructive the fires may have been, life endures. The celli move to gentler chords and a harp enters as the warm evening light shines over the recovering forest. A flute solo underlines the last scene where we see another one of the deer from the beginning, one that survived the disaster, drinking from the very river where it witnessed the arrival of the fire.

As for the song itself:

So, pump up the volume, I hope you will enjoy my composition!

This piece has been composed with Fruity Loops. If you are interested in the .FLP file, feel free to contact me anytime!

This work focuses on one of the denizens of the forest in question. His day begins as a typical bear day would transpire, a gentle stroll through the woods. When confronted with the inevitability of a forest fire, Mr Bear heads for the plains below, we aware of the dangers that fire presents. This event is depicted by the shift in harmonies into the Locrian mode and then into the wholetone scale. When the danger has been averted, the harmonies in the tuba part shift back into the more conventional church modes.

Of course, while the mood of impending doom is palpable, there is not a sense of uncontrolled panic since wildlife have an uncanny ability to sense and avoid natural disasters in a way which baffles humankind.

Compositionally, one must understand the instruments which are being employed in an ensemble such as this. First of all, Tubas and piano DO NOT blend. This means that a heterophonic texture must be adopted.  Secondly, there is not a balance issue between Tuba and Piano. The tuba is ALWAYS louder than the piano and I tried to capture this in my sequencer realization of this piece.

As for formal implications, I adopted a ternary type form, "A B A" in which the material from the beginning is stated once again at the end although it is varied upon.  Harmonically, this piece is quasi tonal and relies on many twentieth century practices such as diatonic clusters, chromaticism, bitonality and rhythmic flexibility to achieve the effect. In spite of this Avant Garde style the piece still retains the traditional function of melody and harmony, the dissonances being merely decorative in function.

Part I is about the time before the wildfire in the forest. It should express the harmony and happiness in the forest and the relationship between the two deer.

In Part II the fire breaks out and the flames engulfed the whole forest. A cry for help of one of the deer is symbolized by the French horn. With strong trills, short marcato strings and a strong percussion section the flames chase the deer through the whole forest.

In Part III one of the deer finds the corpse of the other and begin to lament for his dead partner.