Bestiary for Orchestra
Karen Amrhein
About this work:
Bestiary offers a scene, a landscape, and 5 miniature portraits of creatures from myth and fantasy.
Phoenix opens the set with music that conjures wonder and a sense of anticipation (the working
titles for this piece were, alternately, Dawn and Herald of the Dawn, both of which describe its waxing
and rising quality). The music surges until, at the midway point, descending chords indicate
the immolation of the firebird, only now, as the music builds once more, the phoenix bursts into
renewed life, hearkens to the herald's trumpet, and flies away.
Chimera — a beast with a lion's head, goat's body, and serpent's tail — brays its throaty welcome
(the goaty part, of course), and prances blithely about. A few measures of blustery chords characterize
the lion's regal head, but the goatiness reasserts itself until it dissipates into an expressive
variation. The opening prancing returns, but concludes with the addition of a snaking line of sixteenth
notes, played by the flute.
The landscape, Idyll (Wind in the Branches) is next offered. Idyll provides a duet for the harp and
piano, and is freely expressive, even Romantic in character. Perhaps the beasts are relaxing under
the eaves with a cool drink?
Griffin — that of the eagle's head and wings, and the lion's body — is depicted in a piano solo that
begins with the liony business striding about, until the eagle-half decides to take flight. The
Griffin soars triumphantly, crying out with its eagle-tongue, before coming to a perch upon some
high craig. It cleans its beak with its lion's paws and rests for a moment, before dropping from the
ledge and gliding over the valley, descending for a quiet landing.
Sea Serpent slithers along the sea bottom, searching for prey and eluding that which would dine
upon it. In a mood of carefree abandon it suddenly shoots towards the surface, playing among the
waves and plunging through the blue waters. The humor passes and the serpent returns to the
inky depths, lurking, biding....
Procession concludes this musical bestiary by visiting briefly again with some of the creatures we
met earlier, now paraded in a single vision of delicacy and nobility. The regal phoenix is succeeded
by the griffin, here (the lion part) evoked in a gentle dance — until the phoenix music rises once
more. The chimera's lion-head roars (recalling those earlier blustery chords), but then the firebird
ascends until all the beasts vanish from sight to remain only in myth and memory.
Year composed: 2004
Duration: 16:00:40
Ensemble type: Orchestra:Standard Orchestra
Instrumentation: 2 Flute, 2 Oboe, 2 Clarinet, 2 Bassoon, 2 Horn in F, 2 Trombone, 1 Bass Trombone, 1 Tuba, 3 Timpani, 1 Percussion (General), 1 Strings (General), 1 Harp