Of the Landscape is a collection of miniatures inspired by the changing landscapes along the length of Rout 66. Each movement is based on the creatures, geography, and folk traditions associated with five different American biomes. The motives of “Rushes and Red Winged Blackbirds” are based on the call of the red winged blackbird, the bull frog, and other creatures that reside in the marshes of Illinois. The melody of “Walnuts and Milkweed” is based on the folk song Blackest Crow, which originated in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. “Meadowlarks and Bluebonnets” evokes the wide rolling plains of Oklahoma and Texas. The different timbres and drones used in “Cactus Wrens and Cholla” depict the blowing sand and empty expanse of the deserts of New Mexico and Arizona. Finally, “Scrub Oaks in Fog” is inspired by the scrublands of southern California, where the desert land meets the ocean in a thin “fog belt” to create one of the rarest biomes on the planet. This piece was commissioned and premiered by Trio 66.
