Description
Southwest Express follows a pair of tourists on a whirlwind, imaginary, one-day train tour of the Southwest, starting at sunrise in Santa Fe and ending under the night sky in Tucson. Each of their experiences along the way and much of their dialogue is taken from actual reactions or anecdotes shared with me by other “transplants” to the area. The orchestra is also a storyteller, mimicking the sound of the train’s movement and horns, painting the transition from sunrise to afternoon heat to evening starlight, and even allowing the orchestra players to act as “locals” in each place the tourists pass through. Keep your ears open for some musical quotes, too! Can you hear “Route 66,” “Summertime,” the Bach-Gounod “Ave Maria,” and even a moment of Debussy’s Clair de Lune?
Commission funded by the 2023 Arizona Artist Research and Development Grant.
Premiered September 2023 by Ben Franklin High School Orchestra in Queen Creek, Arizona, directed by Cindy Petty.
