Spiriti, for Brass Band, Set

A Bach chorale stands at the centre of this work ('Für deinen Thron tretŽ ich hiermit').Anton Bruckner was one of Johann Sebastian Bach's great admirers. His work is full of the spirit of that musical genius. For Thomas Doss, it was Bruckner'sspirit that always seemed to be with him while working on Spiriti. Bruckner's spirit is captured in this composition by a quote from the chorale of his 'Fifth Symphony' at the end of the piece.The introduction, written in the style of a funeralmarch, already displays the first fragments of the chorale. Like splinters they are strewn throughout the first 'Allegro', combining and recombining in turbulent, powerful tuttipassages. As the music becomes more rambunctious, the Bach-likefragments begin to swirl around each other, only to be scattered once more.The middle-section is of a more pensive nature. The 'Religioso' character gives the audience time to reflect. The music is meditative and the quarter-note (or crotchet)elements mimic a soul that is yearning and crying out.The third part of the piece finally leads, by way of minimalist elements and the fragments mentioned earlier, to a magnificent presentation of the Bach chorale. As the church bells ring out, onecan almost hear the great masters presiding at the organ.