I have a memory of an early morning storm, slowly moving over a field of harvest ready corn. The morning sun, still visible to the east, shone down across the field making the yellow and brown crops shine bright gold. The contrast between the dark, purple storm and vibrant, shimmering field was staggering. Separate, the two elements are iconic, powerful. But together, they are a beautiful balance of bitter and sweet, dark and light, life and death. The Golden Gray is an exploration of this balance and ultimately, a celebration of black and white, sweet and sour, beginnings and endings.
Commissioned by Christopher Werner and the La Crosse High School Wind Ensemble, La Crosse, WI, February 2009.
Performance by Steve Steele and the Illinois State University Wind Ensemble.
Recording forthcoming on Albany Records.
Roy D. Magnuson 