| Numinous The Music of Joseph C. Phillips Jr. |
The Poet Dreams of the Mountain (2023)
The Poet Dreams of the Mountain (2023)
commissioned by and for the 2022-2023 Adelphi University Guitar Quartet, Jay Sorce, director
(4 Classical Guitars)
9 minutes
commissioned by and for the 2022-2023 Adelphi University Guitar Quartet, Jay Sorce, director
(4 Classical Guitars)
9 minutes
Sometimes I grow weary of the days with all their fits and starts.
I want to climb some old grey mountain, slowly, taking the rest of my lifetime to do it, resting often,
sleeping under the pines or, above them, on the unclothed rocks.
--Mary Oliver, from “The Poet Dreams of the Mountain”
Sometimes I grow weary of the days with all their fits and starts.
I want to climb some old grey mountain, slowly, taking the rest of my lifetime to do it, resting often,
sleeping under the pines or, above them, on the unclothed rocks.
--Mary Oliver, from “The Poet Dreams of the Mountain”
As a teenager and throughout college, I used to have a poster of Alaska hanging in my bedroom. The poster was of an icy bay with a pristine glacier in the water and surrounded by snow-capped peaks in the distance, with the fin of a whale poking out of the water. Since those early days, I had always wanted to go to Alaska, to experience the wonder and wildness of its beauty. And while I am lucky enough to travel to many places over the world, and to have had many outdoor adventures, until 2022 I never had the opportunity to visit Alaska.
That changed in the summer of 2022 when I was fortunate to finally visit Alaska...twice! The first time was June 2022 when I was invited to Homer, Kenai, and Anchorage for a composer portrait week with Wild Shore Music. Then in July 2022 I participated in the two-week Composing in the Wilderness Fellowship. Founded and led by adventurer/composer Stephen Lias, the annual program brings nine composers to Denali National Park to spend time hiking and learning from National Park field guides about the animals, geology, and flora and fauna of the Park. And while the mountain Denali was clouded over during my time in the National Park, I did get to see “the High One” when in Fairbanks (120+ miles away), and previously during my time in Anchorage with Wild Shore Music.
My piece “The Poet Dreams of the Mountain” is inspired by the eponymous poem by Mary Oliver and its reverie in nature, but also by my time within the glorious sierras of Alaska, which I felt a similar spirit of quiet wonderment and resplendence.
© cover photo by Joseph C Phillips Jr, Denali National Park July, 2022
That changed in the summer of 2022 when I was fortunate to finally visit Alaska...twice! The first time was June 2022 when I was invited to Homer, Kenai, and Anchorage for a composer portrait week with Wild Shore Music. Then in July 2022 I participated in the two-week Composing in the Wilderness Fellowship. Founded and led by adventurer/composer Stephen Lias, the annual program brings nine composers to Denali National Park to spend time hiking and learning from National Park field guides about the animals, geology, and flora and fauna of the Park. And while the mountain Denali was clouded over during my time in the National Park, I did get to see “the High One” when in Fairbanks (120+ miles away), and previously during my time in Anchorage with Wild Shore Music.
My piece “The Poet Dreams of the Mountain” is inspired by the eponymous poem by Mary Oliver and its reverie in nature, but also by my time within the glorious sierras of Alaska, which I felt a similar spirit of quiet wonderment and resplendence.
© cover photo by Joseph C Phillips Jr, Denali National Park July, 2022
Thanks and credit to all the original photos on this website to: David Andrako, Concrete Temple Theatre, Marcy Begian, Mark Elzey, Ed Lefkowicz, Donald Martinez, Kimberly McCollum, Geoff Ogle, Joseph C. Phillips Jr., Daniel Wolf-courtesy of Roulette, Andrew Robertson, Viscena Photography, Jennifer Kang, Carolyn Wolf, Mark Elzey, Karen Wise, Numinosito. The Numinous Changing Same album design artwork by DM Stith. The Numinous The Grey Land album design and artwork by Brock Lefferts. Contact for photo credit and information on specific images.