MUSIC: CSPhil – Beethoven and Tchaikovsky
Colorado Springs Philharmonic
Conductor: Josep Caballé Domenech
Date: January 21, 2017
Halcyon Skies
Daniel Kellogg
Much like many of the other compositions commissioned to celebrate the anniversary of the writing of "America the Beautiful," this piece did an excellent job of capturing the size and majesty of the mountain known as Pike's Peak. It starts at sunrise, as the sun slowly illuminates the mountain in its purple pre-dawn light. As the alpenglow builds, the enormity of the mountain comes into view. The sunrise then rests on a lone hiker at the base of this prominent peak. We then follow this hiker as he climbs along the trail through the woods, occasionally taking a short break to look back on how far he's come. Continuing his climb, he arrives at the summit and is rewarded with the brilliance of the view afforded to his effort.
Symphony No. 8
Ludwig van Beethoven
It's interesting to me that this piece was chosen as one of the first to start off...