Chasing Eris, Zachary Cairns Concert Band Grade 2.5

Inspired by the dwarf planet and Greek goddess of the same name,Chasing Erisis dark and energetic in nature and evokes images of the great distances and uncertainty associated with space exploration.

Program Notes

Chasing Erisdraws its inspiration from two sources: the 15th anniversary of the discovery of the dwarf planet Eris in 2005 and the Greek goddess of strife and discord. The piece is dark and energetic in nature and features unexpected chromatic chord progressions (in particular tritone progressions and chromatic mediants). This chromaticism is carefully planned so that the burden of learning and playing new notes is distributed throughout the ensemble. Though these chromatic harmonies are themselves largely consonant, they have a discordant flavor when presented in juxtaposition with each other. This discordant flavor is intended to evoke images of great distance and uncertainty often associated with space exploration near the edge of our solar system.