The Nature of the Beast  (8:00)
An Essay on Life

Grade 5+
by Julie Giroux
Composed for the Tara Winds, Atlanta, Georgia
Dr. David Gregory, Conductor

Premiered December 21, 2001 by the Tara Winds
The Midwest Clinic, Chicago, Illinois
Colonel Lowell E. Graham, USAF, Guest Conductor

 

Program Notes

Let me first clarify that the word "Beast" in the title is by no means a reference to evil. It is simply a metaphor for life. I felt that to have named the piece "The Nature of Life" would not have captured the essence of true life or of this work. Life, and I can only draw upon my own experiences, has the tendency to be uncontrollable and unpredictable. It certainly will never be restrained by the imaginary "leash" we try to use to control and contain it. Powerful, silent, and often whimsical, time drags us forward or launches us into a whirlwind of emotions and trials that we can either learn from or ultimately be lost in. Life becomes a test of Faith, survival not of the fittest, but more of those who persevere. And, it is a gift. One that we can do with as we please. It is an unending march that we try to keep step with and add to, and if we are lucky, the melody of our own existence will be added to it. For that march is the music of our ancestors – created by facing, but never taming, "The Nature of the Beast."

-J.G.