Embers to Ash

Elena Specht

General Info

Year: 2016
Duration: c. 9:40
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Elena Specht
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $180.00; (digital) - $100.00 | Score Only (print) - $45.00; (digital) - $35.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Piano
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV-V, including:

Bass Drum
Chimes
Crash Cymbals
Glockenspiel
Marimba
Mark Tree
Snare Drum
Suspended Cymbal
Tam-Tam
Tom-Tom
Triangle
Vibraphone
Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

In conceiving of Embers to Ash, I was interested in both the physical and emotional meanings of these words. Embers are the smoldering remains of a fire, while ash is the powdery residue that remains after a fire, as well as being a pale shade of gray. However, both have double meanings: embers can also refer to slowly fading emotions, memories, or relationships, and ash can mean feelings of remorse, regret, and nostalgia. Ash is also a type of tree, something alive and growing. These definitions reminded me of the mythological creature of the phoenix, a bird that is cyclically reborn from the ashes of the fire in which its previous life had ended. Embers to Ash is structured around these concepts: fire, decay, a gray-like stasis, and finally, a sense of rebirth and renewal.

- Program Note by composer

Awards

University of Colorado Boulder Wind Ensemble Composition Competition, 2017, winner

Media

(Needed - please join the WRP if you can help.)

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Ball State University (Muncie, Ind.) Wind Symphony (Caroline Hand, conductor) - 29 October 2021
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) Concert Band (Courtney Snyder, conductor) – 15 April 2019
University of Colorado Boulder Wind Symphony (Donald J. McKinney, conductor) – 20 April 2017 *Premiere Performance*

Works for Winds by This Composer

Resources

Elena Specht website Accessed 8 April 2019
The Horizon Leans Forward…, compiled and edited by Erik Kar Jun Leung, GIA Publications, 2021, p. 483-484.