Sailing with Whales - Rossano Galante

Copyright 2021
This work can be purchased at:
www.jwpepper.com/myscore/rossanogalante
Commissioned and performed by Kentaro Hino and the Hikarigaoka Girls' High School Wind Orchestra
As Sailing with Whales begins, a trumpet fanfare accompanies the men and women who leave port and set out to sea on a crisp morning to search for the majestic Orcinus orca or Orca Whale. The main theme, stated by the trombones, follows them on their journey with these apex predators that no other animal would dare prey on. This theme encompasses the thrilling search and, once found, subsequent trek with the whales in their natural habitat.
The noble and majestic secondary theme captures a quieter time on the ocean as these highly social whales travel in pods to calmer waters as the sun begins to set.
The next day, as the waves swell and the sailors try to keep up with the whales, the pace of the music accelerates to embody the speed of these ocean giants as they begin to move faster and faster. After a brief recapitulation of the main thematic material, the piece comes to a riveting, rhythmic conclusion, encapsulating the experience of Sailing with Whales!