A Storm’s Passing (Rise and Fall of a New Horizon)

Commissioned by the California State University, Northridge Wind Ensemble

Premiered at Plaza Del Sol Performance Hall on November 29, 2016, Dr. Lawrence F. Stoffel conducting

“One can imagine a sunlit horizon, with a calm and warm melody, and slowly, it is overtaken by gradually rolling clouds, foreshadowing what is to come. Suddenly, the storm attacks; lightning strikes, thunder claps, wind whips at the landscape, and all of the light is blocked out by a thick, dark ceiling of clouds. Soon, the storm rages into a controlled downpour, and in the eye of the storm, one can see all the chaos around them. Then, as the final bolt of lightning strikes the ground, a blinding flash fills the air, and as the world returns once again, the rain has stopped, the intensity has vanished, and all seems anew. The clouds begin to part, and beams of light pass through onto the world around, a feeling of rebirth surrounding. Finally, the clouds part, and above the blazing setting sun shines a rainbow as glorious and colorful as one can be.”

-Robby Good, 2016