GOLDEN HOUR

• French horn* and piano ( *Now also available for trumpet, clarinet, tuba, euphonium, and trombone!)
• Duration: ~6 minutes
• Composed in 2020
• Premiered by Matthew Anderson; reference recording by Brian Barber (piano) and Eric Reed (horn)
• BUY NOW / view perusal score (trumpet version)
  
  

NEW recordings!

Here is the new clarinet version premiered by David Cook (clarinet) and Ināra Zandmane (piano):

Here is the trumpet version recorded by Chloe Swindler!

Here is the tuba version recorded by Jarrett McCourt (who named his recent album after Golden Hour!)

PROGRAM NOTES

The “golden hour” is the last hour of light before sunset. The early ideas for this piece came to me during a long drive from New York City to Toronto. We had left the NYC area in time to drive through the rolling hills of upstate New York during this magical time of day. We were treated to an incredible display of colours dancing among the clouds and golden light just pouring over the area and warming our faces. I let the ideas sit for several months, until experiencing a similar drive on the opposite side of the continent in Yosemite National Park. 

Driving up to the lookout at Glacier Point, we weren’t sure if we would make it to the top in time for sunset. It felt like a race against time, trying to ascend the steep mountain roads before the sun made its descent below the horizon. When we arrived at the lookout, it was as if the sky was on fire (see the cover image on this score!) The next few minutes led to a beautiful and calm glow before fading into dusk. The music in Golden Hour represents both of these memorable sunset experiences.

This piece was commissioned by a consortium led by Matthew Anderson. Many thanks to the following horn players from across North America for their contribution to this project: 

Inga Augustaitis - Elk Grove Village, IL
Julia Ferguson - Ashland, OR
Matthew Haislip - Starkville, MS
Brandon Houghtalen - Abilene, TX
Alexis House - Fort McMurray, AB
Michael Mikulka - Austin, TX
Eric Reed - New York City, NY
Kristen Ronning - Chicago, IL
Piper Shiels - Richmond Hill, ON
Mike Simpson - Renton, WA
Ryan Wehrle - Winnipeg, MB

~~~

A special thank you to Brian Barber for his significant contribution to Golden Hour’s piano part and to the development of my piano writing. 

At Cait Nishimura Music, we care about protecting the planet we call home. One dollar from every purchase of this piece will be donated to the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Thank you for helping us support this initiative. To learn more, visit: https://www.natureconservancy.ca/