Philip Sparke

Spirit Of The Sequoia

When Philip Sparke composed this piece he tried to create a work that characterised man's ability to overcome personal tragedy and the feeling of serenity gained when the tragedy is forgotten. To do this he decided to use the analogy of the sequoia, a generic name for the huge redwood trees, particularly the Californian redwood. The remarkable life cycle of these amazing trees involves them dropping seeds to the ground which require heat, such as a ferocious forest fire to re-grow. In a similar way, the human spirit can actually gain from setbacks - we become stronger after adversity. The music falls into sections which can broadly be characterised as doubt, conflict, catharsis, inner calm and finally triumph. A fantasic new major concert work from the pen of Philip Sparke.