Daniel Vendt

Publication Date

2002

Comments

Notes from the Composer:

This work is loosely based on the book "Lost Horizon" by James
Hilton, a book I have enjoyed for many years. In the story, set
during the second world war, 4 main characters are fleeing the
advancing Japanese army by taking an airplane leaving from
Baskul, somewhere in India. The plane is hijacked by a mysterious
person and crash lands in the Himalayas. The passengers find
themselves to be the guests of a monastery in the valley of the
Blue Moon (Karakal), a place of incredible beauty. The deep
solitude and knowledge of the ages hoarded by the monks is
reflected in the third movement. Near the end of the story,
despite pleas from the head monk to stay, the passengers flee
the valley just before a big storm hits. In the book, the storm is
also a metaphor for the destruction of mankind in a future war,
which is what the monks are preparing for by hoarding vast
collections of books and scientific volumes.
This work was premiered in the fall of 2002 by Mark Portolese,
Carolyn Franz, Johanna Wiesbrock, and Ed Stevens.
The duration of this piece is approximately 7 minutes.

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