Conductor: Randall Standridge
Ensemble: Lodge Studio Wind Ensemble
Sound Engineer/Producer: Michael Graham
We are all just ghosts waiting to happen.
This is something that, as I grow older, weighs on my mind more and more.
As I sit here writing this, I am 46 years old. Family, friends, teachers, pets…I have lost many over the years. Until I leave this world, I will continue to lose those around me. Death stands tall in our future and beckons to us our entire lives. Some of us dig our heels in and fight against that bony, outstretched hand with all of our might. Some of us turn a blind eye, refusing to acknowledge the dark shadow on the horizon, and are surprised when he finally comes calling. Some of us run towards him fearlessly, laughing all the way until we disappear into his dark robes. But hesitant, indifferent, or enthusiastic, we will all meet him eventually.
I am haunted by the memory of those I have lost. I yearn for their presence and grieve for them day after day. I tell people about the times we laughed, the times we cried, the times we fought. I tell them about the impact they had on my life. Every time I do, I tell a ghost story.
When I was asked to write this symphony, I wanted to write something that would speak to a universal experience. Ghost stories are about the past, life, loss, love, fear, and hope. Fear and hope, most of all, I think. Fear of our own mortality and the hope that we will survive the experience and be reunited with those we have loved.
And also the hope that one day, someone will tell our story.
Our ghost story.
Because, after all…
We are all just ghosts waiting to happen.
Peace Love and Music,
Randall Standridge, December 2022.
Symphony no. 1: A Ghost Story is a symphony with four movements following a narrative. A composer has passed away, and the symphony is told from the point of view of his widow. The movements also loosely correlate to the Kubler-Ross stages of grief.
Movement 1: Unquiet
The first movement begins softly, establishing a mood of dread. The widow sits alone at the piano where their spouse once sat. Slowly, they play a dirge as the house creaks and comes to life around them. The unquiet spirit of the composer surfaces in a fury, wishing to be heard. A tapping is heard, morse code for “Here.” This is followed by a flurry of activity as the spirit makes its presence known, refusing to stay quietly in the grave. The first half of the first movement serves as an “overture” for the symphony, where most of the major themes of the work are stated. A violent and “unquiet” development follows in the second half as a storm rages outside the house. Lighting flashes and thunder roars as the spirit struggles to be heard. This movement correlates with the “Denial” stage of grief.
Morse Code: …. . ._. . = “Here”
Movement 2: Loss
The second movement begins with a lone clarinet. The widow sits in a shaft of afternoon sunlight, shaking off the phantoms of the previous night. They begin to remember and reflect, haunted by their memories. As scenes from the past play through their mind, they feel grief, love, nostalgia, anger, bitterness, and hope that their loved one sits just beyond the veil, waiting for them. They catch a brief glimpse of his face and feel his presence, and are filled with wonder and joy. They ask over and over, “are you there?” This unleashes a new wave of emotions larger than the widow can bear, realizing they must move on and live without him. In a whirlwind of love and loss, the movement climaxes with a scream of grief before collapsing into a depressed sigh that ends the movement. This movement correlates with the “Bargaining” and “Depression” stages of grief.
Movement 3: Midnight
The third movement begins quietly as the clock begins to chime at midnight. The spirit of the composer stirs again, once again visiting the widow. What follows is an explosion of rage as the composer screams against the injustice of his death. A savage dance follows as the spirit runs rampant through the house, unable to control its emotions. Furniture flies, glass breaks, and the incessant knocking of “Here! Here! Here!” echoes through the house. This movement also features a wonderfully malevolent instrument, the Aztec Death Whistle. Movement three correlates with the “Anger” stage of grief.
Movement 4: Ascent
The fourth movement is performed attaca with the third, beginning immediately as the third movement ends. The dirge from the beginning has been transformed and is now presented in a hopeful setting. Dawn begins to break across the horizon, and warm light begins to drift in through the windows. The spirit, finally accepting its fate, appears one final time to the widow. They share one final, ghostly embrace before the spirit ascends, leaving the earthly plane forever, moving on to whatever waits after. Movement four correlates with the “Acceptance” stage of grief.