Hymn to the Earth
(Suite No. 1 from Roundings)
Instrumentation: *3,*3.*3.*3/4,3,3,1/T,3P,Harp/Stgs.
Duration: 14 mins.
Premiered by the Seattle Symphony, Gunther Herbig, conducting, this suite speaks to the abiding relationship between humanity and the earth which sustains us.
- “Hymnlike indeed, with its foursquare melodies over rich, shimmering orchestral chords and its resolute tonality, the suite recalls Copland but goes beyond those influences to an idiom that is Jones’ own.”
---Melinda Bargreen, Seattle Times
- “In the Eastern European tradition of mystical music, the three-movement work is slow moving in broad phrases—reflective and serene in nature. The composer has provided a rather elaborate program, but one can readily take in its musical aspects, appealing and often moving, without a hint of the scenario surrounding them.”
---R.M. Campbell, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
READ PROGRAM NOTES