Unfamiliar Territory

From Wind Repertory Project
Michael Markowski

Michael Markowski


Subtitle: 3 Sketches for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble


General Info

Year: 2013
Duration: c. 9:00
Difficulty: VII (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Alto saxophone and piano
Publisher: Markowski Creative
Cost: Score and Parts - $295.00   |   Solo Clarinet Part - Free


Movements

1. Local Spirits – 3:15
2. As Night Falls – 3:05
3. Shortcuts – 2:38


Instrumentation

Full Score
Solo Clarinet
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass 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-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Piano
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV-V-VI, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Bell Tree
  • Claves
  • Cowbell
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Crotales
  • Djembe
  • Finger Cymbals
  • Guiro
  • Marimba
  • Shakers
  • Snare Drum
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Timbales
  • Tom-Tom
  • Triangle
  • Vibraphone
  • Wood Block
  • Xylophone


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

Unfamiliar Territory is a bit of a film-noir spin on George Gershwin’s An American in Paris; that is, the piece is “programmatic” in that it attempts to tell a short story about an American tourist in another country. For this foreigner, however, the adventures take place not in the bustling city streets of Paris but somewhere south of the border, somewhere where the local language is beautiful yet alienating, and the landscape is alluring yet disorienting.

The United States-Mexico border is only a dusty four-hour drive from Phoenix, and for some reason it took me 24 years to cross it. People often escape the Arizona heat and head south to their condos in the intimate resort town of Puerto Peñasco -- or as Americans better know it: Rocky Point. The beaches are gorgeous and the tides recede hundreds of feet every night, as if by magic, revealing the ocean’s hidden treasures. The weather is perfectly mild -- never too hot, never too cold -- and refreshing, tropical-themed drinks are always nearby.

On the other side of the tall resort walls is a different side of Mexico. Many of the roads are unpaved and some of the locals’ homes have roofs made from corrugated tin. On the corner is the neighborhood restaurant, a local favorite, with meals served up by a pleasant woman named Rosie. I order the pancakes, and although delicious, they have a surprising carne asada flavor as almost everything here is cooked on the same little grill.

As night falls, the local spirits emerge and the town comes alive. The moon hangs low, peeking out around buildings, always just out of sight, as if to keep an eye on us without our knowing it. Taxi drivers take wild shortcuts through dark side streets, narrowly avoiding packs of stray dogs on these roads “less traveled,” if we may actually call them “roads.” Our ears have been badly beaten by someone named Mr. Saxobeat, courtesy of our driver, who just wants us to have a good time. Somehow, we are still able to make out the low meditative hum of neon lights, buzzing quietly like mosquitoes. It doesn’t take long to fall under the city’s spell.

The ghosts of this unfamiliar territory swirl all around us, dizzying our senses, growing more and more vocal as we enter somewhere we perhaps weren’t invited to. Outside, our taxi driver waits for us, watching us. This is either super creepy or maybe he has been appointed our guardian angel for the night -- this is still unclear. But we continue on into the night, if for no other reason than because we have no idea where we are or how to get back home.

- Program Note from publisher


Media


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • University of Akron (Ohio) Wind Symphony (Galen S. Karriker, conductor; Stanislav Golovin, clarinet) – 14 February 2022
  • Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton) Wind Ensemble (Kyle Prescott, conductor; Stojo Miserlioski, clarinet)] - 13 April 2019
  • Loyola University (New Orleans, La.) Wind Ensemble (Serena Weren, conductor; Stephanie Thompson, clarinet) - 6 April 2019
  • Brooklyn Wind Symphony and Grand Street Community Band (Jeff Ball, conductor) – 1 November 2015


Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music


All Wind Works


Resources

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