Midnight at Moondarra (Band Gr. 2)

South of the Baw Baw Ranges, about 161km east of Melbourne, Victoria, lies Moondarra Reservoir, a water catchment and storage dam. Moondarra – a word that comes from the local Australian Aboriginal people – is thought to mean “plenty of rain and thunder” and the area is well-known for storms with strong, heavy rain. The opening of this work evokes a summer storm over Moondarra with rolls of thunder and pelting rain. At midnight as the storm subsides, animals such as bats, echidnas, snakes, and kangaroos venture from their nests to hunt and forage for food and to see what the rain has brought. Midnight at Moondarra attempts to express how these animals might move, march, dance, soar, or swim after the storm has passed.

Genre: Band | # of Players: Standard
Series: Young Band Series
Level: 2 | Duration: 5:30

Instrumentation
Flute 1
Flute 2
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Clarinet 1
B-flat Clarinet 2
Bass Clarinet
Alto Saxophone
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone

B-flat Trumpet 1
B-flat Trumpet 2
F Horn 1
F Horn 2
Trombone 1
Trombone 2
Euphonium B.C.
Euphonium T.C.
Tuba

Glockenspiel
Percussion 1: Snare Drum, Bass Drum
Percussion 2: Rainsticks, Thunder Sheet, Woodblock, Suspended Cymbal
Percussion 3: Triangle, Concert Toms

Program Notes
South of the Baw Baw Ranges, about 161km east of Melbourne, Victoria, lies Moondarra Reservoir, a water catchment and storage dam. Moondarra – a word that comes from the local Australian Aboriginal people – is thought to mean “plenty of rain and thunder” and the area is well-known for storms with strong, heavy rain. The opening of this work evokes a summer storm over Moondarra with rolls of thunder and pelting rain. At midnight as the storm subsides, animals such as bats, echidnas, snakes, and kangaroos venture from their nests to hunt and forage for food and to see what the rain has brought. Midnight at Moondarra attempts to express how these animals might move, march, dance, soar, or swim after the storm has passed.

Score VIdeo

Composer Talk