Description

Level: Intermediate
The marvels of exploration await in The Mapmakers - a three-part musical adventure that follows a lone cartographer venturing into the unknown in search of knowledge. Expressive melodies navigate an enigmatic and daring opener, with our narrator explaining that "on a journey of discovery, I am lost." As the energy shifts to a meditative pace, heavenly vocals and tender musical phrases set the scene as the narrator describes a "prolific shower of shooting stars blazing their luminary trails across the heavens." From this poignant moment, swift woodwind flourishes layer upon each other in sequence, resembling celestial bodies racing alongside agile percussive rhythms and impressive brass ornamentations across an expansive night sky. The emotional energy builds towards the narrator's triumph amidst "the emptiness of the plains, their austerity, and solitude", and that "to be devoured by the stars, I mind it no longer, and I soldier on."

Instrumentation

Music by Kevin Shah
Battery Percussion by Mike Jackson

Soloist: Trumpet or Oboe

Flute
Clarinet (2)
Bass Clarinet
Alto Saxophone (2)
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone

Trumpet (3)
Horn
Low Brass (3)
Tuba

Snare Drum
Tenor Drum
Bass Drums (5)

Vibraphone (4)
Xylophone/Crotales
Marimba (4)
Synthesizer (2) * MainStage File Included
Timpani
Auxiliary Percussion (1)