Journey to Illyria

SKU: CF.PPS53F

ISBN 9781491152652. UPC: 680160910151.

Illyria is a region in southern Europe, and the name has been used in books and music throughout history, including Shakespearean plays. Composer Sean O'Loughlin takes beginning students on a musical journey, starting with broad melodic statements by the brass, bold full ensemble statements, a contrasting lyrical section, and concluding with a relentless finish. Journey to Illyria is a sophisticated musical presentation that is still playable by the youngest of students.
The title Journey to Illyria comes out of a recent internet search that came up with a similarly titled book by an author named Sean O'Loughlin (no relation). I'm always fascinated by how connected and small this world can seem. After some further research, I found that Illyria is also a name that appears in some fantasy fiction books and even on the TV show Angel. All of this gets wrapped into the music for this piece.It begins with a broad melodic statement by the brass. It develops further at m. 9 and then transitions to a full statement at m. 25 with plenty of imitation between upper and lower voices. A contrasting slower section follows at m. 39, which should bring out the haunting, rich sound of the ensemble. The fast section returns at m. 46 with progressively building imitation to bring back the opening gesture at m. 58. The music then is relentless to the rousing end.