Departures
General Info
Year: 2014
Duration: c. 6:50
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Robert Thurston
Cost: Score and Parts - Unknown
Instrumentation
Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III-IV
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III-IV
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II
Bass Trombone
Euphonium (divisi)
Tuba (div.)
String Bass
Harp
Piano
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV-V, including:
- Bass Drum
- Chimes^
- Claves
- Congas
- Cowbell
- Crash Cymbals
- Drum Set
- Glockenspiel^
- Gong
- Guiro
- Large Toms (2)
- Marimba^
- Shaker
- Small Toms (4)
- Snare Drum
- Suspended Cymbals (2)
- Tambourine (2)
- Timbales
- Triangle
- Vibraphone^
- Woodblock
- Xylophone^
^There is an optional mallet part which consolidates all of these instruments (3 separate parts into one).
Cello (div.)
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
A work aimed at college and professional wind bands, or mature high school groups. Departures is the last original piece I wrote while I was still a member of the US Air Force Band -- so it commemorates my departure from the band (and the military) after a 20-year career. I started out with the intent of making a few stylistic departures as well -- trying out some musical tricks I don’t often use. What I found, the farther I got into writing the piece, was that old habits die hard. But I do love how the piece turned out.
- Program Note by composer
Media
- Audio: Reference recording. U.S. Air Force Band (Larry Lang, conductor)
- Audio CD: U.S. Air Force Band (Larry Lang, conductor)
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- Cleveland State University (Ohio) Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Birch Browning, conductor) – 2 March 2023
- Whitworth University (Spokane, Wash.) Wind Symphony (Richard Strauch, conductor) – 18 February 2017
- United States Air Force Band (Bryan Shelburne, conductor) – 7 March 2014 (ABA 2014 Annual Convention (Montgomery, Alabama)) *Premiere Performance*
Works for Winds by this Composer
- Across the Clouds (2005)
- Ascendance (1998/2002)
- Assurance (2019)
- Atlantic Rhapsody (2020)
- Chief of Staff March (2010)
- Departures (2014)
- Dreidel Dance (2006/2017)
- Fantasia for a King (as arranger) (1998/2002)
- Festive Dances (2000/2001)
- The Flight of the Falcon (2003)
- Frontier (1990/2005)
- Gates of Freedom (2001)
- The Heart of a Mustang (2017)
- Here We Come A-Wassailing (as arranger) (2007)
- Hiding in the Shadows (2020)
- The Midday Blues (2017)
- Mischief (2019)
- Ningabii’anose
- Red Hills Saga (2017)
- Salute (2019)
- Simple Gifts (as arranger) (2017)
- Songs of the West (2003)
- Time Travels (2012)
- Tower of Inspiration (2019)
- Uprising (2003)
Resources
- Robert Thurston website – Accessed 19 July 2022