Krakatoa 

Mountain of Fire
William Owens
Grade 2.5

This stunning and powerful work recalls the massive Krakatoa explosions of 1883 that were heard over 2,000 miles away. The piece begins with an immediate intensity using dissonant ascending notes representing burning lava, while low voices and percussion signify the thunderous blasts. A haunting slow section follows, exuding fear and uneasy anticipation. The music then becomes frantic and highly rhythmic as it leads to the huge eruption, depicted by well-written aleatoric passages that occur over booming bass lines. The "aftermath" is strangely quiet, but soon the angry mountain speaks once more in a powerful and thrilling ending!

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