Climb

I had been to Rio de Janeiro before but never made it up to Corcovado. Having been to both of the peaks of the nearby Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain) and enjoyed some incredibly dynamic and stunning views (including seeing Cristo Redentor from a distance), I just didn't feel any urgency about visiting "the statue" itself. When we found ourselves in Rio again, shortly before the 2016 Olympics, there still wasn't an urgency and it was only when some friends decided they were going to Christo that we decided to tag along.

I'm not sure why I resisted going in the first place, because it was a wonderful experience and well worth it. The ride up Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is full of twists and turns and offers tantalizing peeks of beautiful scenery behind and through foliage, before reaching the peak where the famous Cristo Redentor statue stands sentinel over the city, where even more breathtaking unobstructed vistas awaited; Climb is inspired by that journey, and not the destination.

Climb was commissioned by the 2016-2017 Fieldston 7th Grade Band, Riverdale, New York, Mark Attebery, director and will premiere this Monday, May 22nd, 2017 at the Fieldston School in Riverdale, New York.