Mountain Song (From a Pittsburgh Symphony) Philip Sparke

Commissioned by Bob Bernat and the River City Brass Band (USA), Mountain Song is a programatic piece descriptive of many happy holidays Philip Sparke spent in Mayrhofen in the Austrian Tyrol. (6.22)
The piece opens with the sound of the church bell. dying away as the view of the village becomes more distant. As the climber gets higher, the broad panorama of the Ziller Valley is visible through the trees. A fresh breeze catches the climber by surprise, rustling the nearby branches, and a few steps further on we are above the tree line and the full beauty of the surrounding scenery is revealed. Having rested a while and taken in the views, it is time to start the climb down and we eventually reach the village again to the echoes of the church bell.