Collin Kemeny

Maroon Winds

Category

Year Composed

Orchestration

Duration

Chamber

2019

Flute, Clarinet, 2 Violins, Viola, Cello

6 Minutes

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About:

Maroon Winds is inspired by a backpacking trip I took through the Maroon Bells wilderness in Colorado. While nearing a high pass, a storm blew in forcing us to seek shelter underneath a sparse patch of trees. As the rain bypassed our perch, the humbling beauty of watching a nearby storm swell over ominous-red mountains resulted in the alternation between programmatic and contemplative musical sections. Contradiction guides much of Maroon Winds – the music explores both the progression of a storm and a sentiment trapped within a single moment, rapid ostinati rumble underneath expansive melodic lines, strings obscure beautiful passages with harsh techniques, and the entirety swells with the storm but neglects to develop or progress.