Prayer
for two horns and piano (2014)
Instrumentation: 2 horns, piano
Publisher: Michael Daugherty Music
Duration: 7 mins, 30 seconds
World Premiere: April 12, 2014 / Stamps Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan / Lisa Bontrager and Michelle Stebleton, horns; Kathryn Goodson, piano
Program Note:
Prayer (2014) for two horns and piano, was commissioned by Mirrorimagee in celebration of H. Robert Reynolds 80th birthday and was funded in part by the Meir Rimon Commissioning Assistance Program of the International Horn Society. The world premiere given was by Lisa Bontrager and Michelle Stebleton, horns with Kathryn Goodson, piano at Stamps Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan on April 12, 2014.
In Prayer, I meditate on the calm mood of the Mississippi River seen from a high vista, overlooking the water as far as the eye can see, as sunset turns into a clear and starry night. The piano plays polychords, which echo like distant church bells down in the valley, while the horns play lyrical, soulful melodies. The music also evokes the feeling of sailing down the Mississippi and the emotional journey that ensues.
–Michael Daugherty