Chuck Elledge

West!

Spirited of the Land, the first of this four movement programmatic work, is inspired by the 1914 painting by Charles Russell, 'When the Land Belonged to God,' and the composer's travel in the west. 'A Frontier Lawman,' vividly depicts the swagger and demeanor of legendary lawman, Nathaniel Kimball Boswell. 'Cowboy Meditation,' the third movement of West!, captures the spirit of the solitary life of the cowboy on the plains - his thoughts and the calls of the wild surrounding him. 'Railtown Jubilee,' brings West! to a close representing the dramatic impact the railroad had on the West. Use this as an opportunity for making interdisciplinary connections.