Journey to Alpha Centauri

Journey to Alpha Centauri is a descriptive work for Brass Band and Percussion, portraying the journey of a set of humans to explore the closest star to us that isn’t our own sun. The work is aimed at C Grade / 3rd Section Bands.

1. Preparations begins with a bit of apprehension and foreboding from the band before we hit our stride with a melody from flugelhorn and solo horn. It becomes most positive in nature towards the end of the movement where we have some more leggiero accompaniments to solos around the band.

2. Launch gets more serious. We’re focused. A horn trio leads a slightly more serious-natured theme with interjections from cornets and trombones. After some trials and tribulations, the solo cornet leads a quirky melody singling our flight off of the planet.

3. Weightlessness signals our entry into zero g. This is a more lyrical, cantabile section with beautifully rich chords from the lower half of the band. Solos from cornet and euphonium dominate the serenity. Time passes slowly.

4. Arrival heralds our first glimpse of Alpha Centauri – a majestic sight and a wonderful unifying moment for the entire ensemble, before we hit trouble

5. Mayday is panic-stricken. Something’s gone wrong and we’re 4 lightyears from home. Syncopated motifs a strewn across the band with new tone colours from the cornets. We hear ‘cries’ from the top half of the band which may signify terror, or may signify the physical effort needed to fix the issue.

6. Descent features much of the same music as Launch, leading to a climax towards the end of the movement from the entire ensemble.

7. Freefall depicts the parachute deployment and the apprehension surrounding ‘where are we going to land?’ It takes similar themes as before, but scattered 6/8 bars throw everything a little off kilter – things aren’t exactly as they were.

8. Finale is broad and content. We’ve made it – we hope – or does a final unexpected Vivo! section throw a curveball? Of course it doesn’t – it ends happily with an extremely large, full brass band finish.

This is a digital immediate download PDF.

JOURNEY TO ALPHA CENTAURI was chosen for the 2016 C Grade Queensland Brass Band Championships in Redcliffe.