Joseph Horovitz

Bacchus On Blue Ridge

The Blue Ridge Mountains of North America have inspired many composers, the melodic and rhythmic patterns associated with that region provide a wholesome rustic diet, which may balance our urban sophistication. The three movements of this work are composed on simple symphonic structures, but they include a programmatic element linked by the idea of Bacchus, the god of Wine, Women and Song. To me personally (and probably without conscious foundation), Bacchus has always been a rather jazzy city dweller, which occasionally leaves the rat race of Olympus for a weekend in the country. The course of this work may be taken as a light-hearted illustration of such thoughts. Jazz elements mingle with country-dance, Blues merge with prairie-style, and Valse de Paris is subdued by hoedown. The composition went through many forms from 1974 onwards, and was realised in its final stage for symphonic Wind Band at the end of 1983.