Spirit in the Wind

Duration: 4' 30"

Composed: September 2001

Nicolò Braghiroli, orchestrator

Instrumentation

2 Flutes (2nd doubles piccolo)

2 Oboes

2 Bb Clarinets

2 Bassoons

4 Horns in F

3 Trumpets in Bb

2 Trombones

Bass Trombone

Tuba

Timpani

Percussion (3 players)

Harp

Piano/Celesta

Violin I (10)

Violin II (8)

Viola (6)

Cello (6)

Contrabass (3)

Composition Notes

Back in 2001, two weeks before the tragedy of 9/11, I was working at the World Trade Center for a summer internship. When I heard about some of my colleagues not surviving the attacks, I was deeply affected and writing this song helped me to process what I was feeling.

There are different ways that music comes to me. Sometimes I start at the piano and spend some time exploring different melodic ideas. However, this piece was inspired and just flowed out of me as if it had already been written.

Performance Video

Melvin Tay, conductor

First performed on July 25, 2022 by the Northern Film Orchestra

Original Mockup

Here's the original mockup I made back in 2001 using sounds from a Roland XP-80 synthesizer.