Beautiful Destruction (2022) - for 2 Euphoniums or Trombones and Piano
Duration: Approx. 6 minutes 30 seconds
Format: PDF Score and Parts (2 Euphoniums or Trombones, Piano), MP3 file of MIDI Reference Recording
Copyright © 2022 Ian Lester
LIMINAL SPACES (2022) - for Tuba/Euphonium Octet (EEEETTTT)
LIMINAL SPACES is an extended work for tuba/euphonium octet written in early 2022 for Thomas Stein and the UMKC Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble. Liminal spaces are often described as unsettling, yet nostalgic locations frozen in time that are transitions between two other places, realms, or states of being. This work consists of five distinct movements, each inspired by a specific picture (included in score) that conjures up the feeling of liminality.
Duration: Approx. 10 minutes
Format: PDF Score and parts - Tuba/Euphonium Octet (EEEETTTT)
Copyright © 2022 Ian Lester
Mental Pendulum (2022) - for Brass Trio (Trumpet in B-flat, French Horn, Trombone)
**Winner of the 2022 UMKC Composition Competition**
Mental Pendulum was written in early 2022 for the Factory Seconds Brass Trio. Drawing inspiration from the composer's personal experience with bipolar disorder, this piece depicts the emotional instability and mood swings associated with the ailment and the struggle to manage these symptoms. The work is a cycle of five contrasting sections, each representing certain moods:
I. Hyper, Relentless
II. Calm, Reflective
III. Furious, Impulsive
IV. Distraught, Inconsolable
V. Joyous, Content
Duration: Approx. 12 minutes
Format: PDF Score and Parts (Trumpet in B-flat, Horn in F, Trombone)
Copyright © 2022 Ian Lester
LAKEWAVES (2021) - for C Trumpet, Drum Set, and Piano
Duration: Approx. 6 minutes
Format: PDF Score and Parts (Trumpet in C, Piano, Drum Set)
Copyright © 2021 Ian Lester
Summer Night, Winter Storm (2021) - for Flute, Violin, Guitar, and Euphonium
Summer Night, Winter Storm was written for and premiered at the 2021 UMKC Composers Guild Concert by a small contemporary ensemble consisting of the following members: Giuseppe Junior Gallo-Balma Etes (flute), Michael MacLaughlin (violin), Ian Lester (euphonium), and Pat Owen-Leary (guitar).
The piece consists of two main ideas. The first is a slow plaintive section representing the charm of a breezy summer night with lush textures and interlocking rhythms creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. The second idea conveys a chaotic winter snowstorm, beginning with a flurry of fugue-like passages that are interrupted by the "Summer Night" material, which refers to the "false spring" the Midwest United States often experiences. The storm then returns, growing in intensity by way of a semi-improvised guitar solo. The work ends with the blizzard reaching its maximum power. To match the dynamics of the other instruments, it is recommended that the acoustic guitar be amplified for performances of this work.
Duration: Approx. 8 minutes 15 seconds
Format: PDF Score and Parts (Flute, Euphonium or Trombone, Violin, Acoustic Guitar)
Copyright © 2021 Ian Lester
Two Vignettes for String Quartet (2021)
Two Vignettes consists of two distinct, programmatic movements. The first movement "Memories Lost" dives into the mind of an individual suffering from dementia, gradually losing the memories they cherish the most. It begins with a still, barren landscape, as if a memory has already begun to fade. The first violin then provides the main thematic material while the remaining three voices ominously haunt from below. After an emotional climax, the movement ends where it began, with faded memories. The second movement "Demon Dance" is an aggressive, angular, rapid-fire dance drawing inspiration from the second movement of Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8. Constantly spinning between unison and syncopated rhythms, and jagged, virtuosic passages passed between the four voices, "Demon Dance" is a continuous burst of deranged energy.
Duration: Approx. 8 minutes 30 seconds
Format: PDF Score and Parts (Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello)
Copyright © 2021 Ian Lester
Bullet Train (2021) - for Euphonium Trio
The bullet train system, or Shinkansen, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan first opening in 1964. With a maximum operating speed of 200 mph, and even faster speeds achieved in test runs, bullet trains are certainly an impressive example of technological advancements and innovation of transportation. Bullet Train for euphonium trio begins with a sparsely orchestrated introduction, representing the train sitting idle at the station. The momentum quickly picks up in pace with polyrhythms and interlocking melodic lines. The fast tempo and driving nature of the piece continue non-stop all the way until the final chord.
Duration: Approx. 4 minutes
Format: PDF Score and parts (Euphoniums 1, 2, 3)
Copyright © 2021 Ian Lester
INFERNO (2020) - for Brass Quintet
INFERNO is a brief, fast-paced work for brass quintet inspired by the terrifying speed in which fire can spread and become an uncontrollable blaze. The piece begins by introducing the main motive of three quarter notes and two eighth notes in the tuba, with the other parts gradually adding in syncopated rhythms and melodic material. The blazing main thematic material is interrupted two times by two different chorale sections, which represent the natural beauty of fire. After a last statement of the A material, the piece ends triumphantly. The fire has finally been extinguished.
Duration: 3 minutes 30 seconds
Instrumentation: Trumpet in B-flat 1, Trumpet in B-flat 2, French Horn in F, Trombone, Tuba
Copyright © 2020 Ian Lester
Fanfare for the Isolated Human (2020) - for 6 Trumpets in B-flat and 1 Bass Trumpet in B-flat
Fanfare for the Isolated Human is a work for trumpet septet that was commissioned in early December of 2020 by Jennifer Oliverio for the Oakland University trumpet studio. At the time of composing this work, the COVID-19 Pandemic was still raging throughout the world with tragic outcomes such as death, prolonged illness, financial hardship, and much more. For musicians and other artists, live performances were limited, and at times, even non-existent. This work is in a basic ABCA form, each section defined by a certain pandemic-related scenario or thought (i.e. the grocery store frenzy of part I or the persistent question of when will things go back to normal in part III). This composition was originally meant to be played virtually, with each performer preparing their individual part with the aid of a click-track, however, this version can be performed in a live setting. With melodies and rhythmic motives constantly trading off within the ensemble, and solo passages in the bass trumpet and the top three trumpets, each of the seven performers have vital roles in bringing this work to life.
Duration: 6 minutes
Format: PDF Score and Parts (6 trumpets in B-flat, 1 bass trumpet in B-flat)
Copyright © 2020 Ian Lester
It Waits Beyond the Window (2020) - for Guitar Trio
It Waits Beyond the Window was commissioned by my good friend Shea Socrates in April of 2020 and is loosely inspired by a recurring childhood nightmare that I experienced as child. This nightmare included waking up within the dream and seeing a woman's bloody, grotesque face pressed up against the bed-side window and hearing her scream with rage at the top of her lungs until the nightmare finally ended. I musically convey common tropes of nightmares, such as trying to run away but not getting anywhere, false "wake-ups" within the dream, and a sense of calm only to be interrupted by sudden terror through a balance of consonant and dissonant harmonies, varying melodic material, a wide range of dynamics, tempos, meters, and articulations, and the use of extended techniques.
Duration: Approx. 4 minutes 30 seconds
Format: PDF Score and parts (Guitar 1, 2, 3)
Copyright © 2020 Ian Lester