Dauer: ca 16 min

Three Imaginary Landscapes for bass trombone and piano is an exploration of fictional places found in American literature. The first movement, The Miskatonic at Dunwich, depicts the mythical region of New England found in the horror science fiction of H. P. Lovecraft. Mystical chords and a sonorous melody convey the gloomy river banks and dilapidated towns, followed by a lively chase from a crowd of deranged cult members. Southern Gothic is a literary term describing the many stories set in the rural South of the USA with a sinister and occasionally supernatural quality. While these stories have their dark elements, they also often highlight the pastoral beauty of the South and this slower movement seeks to find that balance. Upon the Plains of Barsoom references Edgar Rice Burroughs name for Mars in his famous John Carter series. These fanciful tales feature brutal alien tribes and fantastic air battles above the desolate Martian landscape. My depiction is a similarly intense and always unpredictable dance with a nod to Cuban jazz.