SKU: PR.465000110

ISBN 9781598062090. UPC: 680160575442.

Castle Creek was written by Dan Welcher in celebration of the Aspen Music Festival's 40th anniversary, and served as a special tribute to the Festival's longtime President, Gordon Hardy. Castle Creek itself is a tributary of the Roaring Fork River on which the Aspen Music Festival campus (as well as Hardy's home) is built. Gordon's initials (G.A.H.) are used as the musical basis for the fanfare, which is centered on the ascending pitches G, A and B, and reflects the upward motion and positivity of the Aspen Music Festival itself. For advanced players. Duration: 5'.
Program Note by the ComposerThere is no “secret program” or hidden meaning in this lively, five-minute work: it was intended as a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Aspen Music Festival, and as a special tribute to the Festival’s longtime President, Gordon Hardy. The title CASTLE CREEK refers to a tributary of the Roaring Fork River on which the Aspen Music Festival campus (as well as Mr. Hardy’s home) is built.The work pays homage to Gordon Hardy by utilizing his initials (“G.A.H.”) as a musical motive: the three letters correspond to the pitches G, A, and B). This three-note group forms the basis of the fanfare that opens the work, and it also serves as an ostinato, a bass line, and a general means of organizing the work’s tonal centers. Because the three notes are in ascending order, the ever-upward direction of the Aspen Music Festival and the positive energy of Gordon Hardy are readily evident.The athletic fanfare that begins the work (marked “noble, but energetic”) is scored for brass and percussion alone, and may be played as a separate piece. The rest of the ensemble joins at the conclusion of the fanfare, and a spirited tune in 9/8 issues from the woodwinds. After this is given a thorough workout, a middle section in faster 3/4 time provides machine-like energy. Perhaps it is the energy of the Festival, in high gear. At the height of this, the music of the fanfare returns in broad open notes in the brass, with the machine still pulsing in support. The overture ends in a burst of motion, with the three-note motive in its highest transposition.My colleague and former student Paul Bissell made this excellent transcription from the orchestral original.