Chase the Shouting Wind: Concert Band Conductor Score

Gassi crafts this work with the architecture of a contest piece but the heart of something meant to be experienced. The poem's soaring imagery translates into music that captures genuine exhilaration in the opening, allows for real vulnerability in the lyrical section, and builds to a climax that justifies every note. Directors appreciate pieces that engage audiences while challenging their bands, and this one does both without sacrificing musicality for technical display.

The music opens with restless, propulsive momentum, evoking the roar and rush of flight itself. A moment of profound calm and reflection breaks through, allowing the ensemble to sing with warmth and vulnerability before the initial energy returns transformed, building to a triumphant and exhilarating conclusion that honors both the freedom and the courage embedded in Magee's poem.

Bands working at Grade 4 level with contest or concert ambitions will find a piece that respects their musicianship while providing legitimate interpretive challenges. The score balances energy and lyricism in ways that engage both players and audiences, making it equally valuable in festival or contest settings.

• Balance the rhythmic energy of the opening wind figures with the harmonic weight of the brass; these elements announce the piece's dual character and must be heard as partners, not competitors.
• Let the lyrical section breathe. Resist the urge to rush through the vulnerable passage; its emotional contrast makes the return to energy genuinely powerful.
• Shape the dynamic development carefully. This section builds momentum through repetition and accumulation, so clarify your conducting pulse and allow the orchestration to do the work of intensifying.
• The climax rewards clarity and commitment. Ensure your ensemble hears where the arrival point is and plays toward it with unified intensity.

Program this as the centerpiece of a concert or festival performance, where its dramatic arc can be fully appreciated. The work pairs well alongside more traditional repertoire, serving as a bridge between classical forms and contemporary programmatic writing. Its contest credentials make it ideal for festival programs where judges appreciate musicianship alongside challenge.

• Balancing independent wind and brass textures
• Executing rhythmic precision in the opening section
• Sustaining lyricism and phrasing across extended melodic lines
• Dynamic shaping in developmental passages
• Reading and performing programmatic intent from score markings
• Ensemble cohesion during accelerating intensity