Travel Music

I have two jobs. I'm a musician -- a bass player in jazz and rock groups here in Minneapolis -- and a freelance writer specializing in the history of architecture. When I go out driving around the Midwestern countryside on field trips, "hunting the wild architecture" that I'll be writing about, nothing heightens my enjoyment of the landscape more than Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No.8 in G Minor. I especially love to put this into my tape deck early in the morning when I'm driving through lush green hills on a beautiful summer day -- like those in southern Minnesota and Wisconsin.

I decided a long time ago that the first few bars of the 8th symphony are an invocation to the sun. After this soft tone poem, Dvorak uses one of his favorite devices. He gives the flutes a phrase that is an obvious evocation of birdsong. This pretty little theme then becomes the thread that holds the entire piece together. The 8th symphony is really a perfect soundtrack for any drive in the country. The tape I have is about 20 years old -- the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Neville Mariner. This is a sentimental favorite for me, because I studied bass with a member of the orchestra when it was recorded. It's probably out of circulation; I'm sure your listeners can find other renditions available.

Richard

 

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