The Vein of Water - A Tribute to the Everglades

The Vein of Water - Tribute to the Everglades was written in 2008 on commission by the Florida Bandmasters Association.

The subtitle "The Everglades" refers to the vast subtropical wetlands in southern Florida, much of which is part of Everglades National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I visited this region in 2006 and was able to see only a small portion of its immense expanse, yet I was deeply impressed by its rich natural environment, its unique flora and fauna, and above all, the power of the water that sustains them. When I later received the commission, I immediately thought that if I were to write a piece for Florida, it should be inspired by the Everglades. That impression was so strong that it became one of the rare occasions where I chose to depict a specific subject in music.

The work is performed without pause and consists of six sections: Dawn, Riverhead, Torrent, Naturalism, Wildlife, and Tribute to the Everglades. One of the important motifs of the piece is the freely played rhythm introduced at the beginning by two pairs of claves. In Naturalism, this motif reappears in passages where several instruments are asked to play freely. The idea of "water" is also evoked through a traditional Japanese theatrical device: the repeated strokes of drums, often heard in Kabuki, representing lakes and the streams that flow into them.

Although commissioned as a work for American high school bands, I sincerely hope that bands in Japan and around the world will perform it, and through this piece, take a fresh look at the irreplaceable beauty of nature.

(Yo Goto)