Ancient Images

Mucha’s Light

2005 . . . wind ensemble (13:40)

In 1991 I made my first trip to Czechoslovakia to perform at the International Music Festival in the ancient Moravian city of Brno. It was on a side trip to the nearby town of Moravsky Krumlov that I first saw Alfons Mucha’s series of epic paintings depicting the history of the Slavic world. The stories expressed in these 17 enormous unframed canvases were intriguing, but I was most inspired by his dazzling rendering of light, the hallmark of truly great artists. Five stood out and became my challenge to complete the transformation of their depictions of light into music.

ANCIENT IMAGES

1. Dawn of the Slavic People

16. Mount Athos Monastery

9. Simeon’s Manuscript

15. Komensky by the Sea

19. Dancing Circle under the Linden Tree