Lord of the Flies

for Flexible Band

Tone Poem • 2022
Grade 2.5 (easy) • 07:50 • FC Music Publishing

Also available for Wind Band and  Brass Band.

Instrumentation : Part 1 (C, Bb, Eb), Part 2 (Bb, Eb), Part 3 (Bb, Eb, F), Part 4 (C, Bb, F), Part 5 (C, Bb, Eb), 3Perc (2Timp(opt.), Tamb (opt.), S.D, B.D, 3Toms, Susp. Cymb, Glock, Xylo, Large Susp.C, T-T(opt))

In my piece Postcards from tomorrow, I tried to convey a positive message concerning the capacity of humanity to meet the challenges that face to us. Then, I wanted to deal once again with the human condition, but this time in a more pessimistic way.

The title of the work refers to the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, published in 1954. The work tells the adventures of a choir of young children and teenagers stranded on a desert island after the crash of their plane, shot down in the midst of World War II. No adult having survived, the children are left to fend for themselves. It is a dystopia: the children will first try to organize a society according to a democratic system, represented by a conch which announces, when one blows into it, the holding of a meeting where everyone has the right to speak. But it is ultimately the savagery and brute force of the charismatic Jack clan that will overcome the established order. This novel therefore deals with order, disorder, but above all with human nature, which Golding considers to be profoundly dark.

My composition is intended to be a small symphonic poem describing different episodes of the book: the despair of the children stranded on the island, the use of the unifying conch and symbol of democracy, the adventures and the formation of the camp and finally the savagery of the clan of Jack which undeniably leads to chaos. The finale is mysterious and half-tone, imbued with both the relief of having been rescued, and a deep sadness linked to the tragic events.

This work was commissioned by the Swiss Wind Band Association (SBV) as part of the year 2023, dedicated to Swiss composers.