Migration: Concerto for Euphonium and Wind Ensemble, ii. Sistere (Still)

Performance by Robert Benton (euphonium) and the Ferndale Community Concert Band in Orchestra Hall, Detroit, MI.

MIGRATION: Concerto for Euphonium and Wind Ensemble was commissioned by Dr. Robert Benton for the 2024 Great Plains Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference at the University of Kearney, Nebraska and was further supported by the Nebraska Arts Council, the Audubon Rowe Sanctuary, The Crane Trust, and the Great Plains Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference. The work is directly inspired by the annual Springtime great migration of Sandhill Cranes on the Platte River in Kearny. MIGRATION: Concerto for Euphonium consists of three movements that musically convey this massive event through the lens of both an onlooker and a Sandhill Crane:  I. Arrival, II. Sistere (still), and III. Flight.

Sistere (still) is what I consider the heart of the Concerto. The Latin word sistere means “to stop” and “to cease moving”. This movement represents the Sandhill Cranes huddled together, roosting on the Platte River. An optimistic percussion introduction rings for ten seconds before an ethereal vibraphone-led progression leads into the solo euphonium melody. The soloist and ensemble build in intensity until a subito piano brings the music back into the initial dream-like chorale. There is another swell of intensity and a subito pianissimo before the music blossoms into a sweeping and passionate restatement of the original material, this time in a new key. The movement ends with a subdued, hopeful iteration of the chorale progression.