Mike Forbes

Cosmic Voyage

Although written for quartet (2 euphoniums, 2 tubas), Cosmic Voyage can also be played in double formation. The piece does not refer to a specific program, but one can see a latent scenario in it. With their powerful sound and overtone capabilities, these instrumentations can evoke extraterrestrial images. Right at the beginning, the work exploits this possibility with powerful layers of fifths. It then develops in a cadenza section (where each wind player can show off his own talent) before it leads explosively into the 'journey' section and melodically flashes through the cosmos in a fast 5/8 tempo. Then the opening theme is heard again before a metrical modulation takes it at the speed of light to the finale, a virtuosic climax where retrograde melodic and rhythmic ideas resound like fireworks. Michael Forbes