Through Clouds and Sunshine - Peter Meechan

Commissioned by Major Matthew Clark and the Royal Canadian Air Force Band in celebration of their 75th anniversary, Through Clouds and Sunshine draws on flight as an inspiration.The piece is based on a hymn by Canadian Richard Campbell, The Airman's Prayer. On first hearing of the hymn I felt a sense of nostalgia - The Airman's Prayer is reminiscent of so many hymns I remember singing in school assemblies (attending Church of England schools until the age of 12 provided plenty of opportunity to learn a great many hymns!).The hymn is used throughout all three movements in various treatments; at times it is utilized as a harmonic basis for the work, and at other times the melody is taken (in fragments or as a whole) to provide a journey through the piece as a whole.The first movement, Power, is an imagining of brave pilots taking to the glorious skies before encountering enemy fighters - driven by adrenaline, Power takes the listener through many emotions and thoughts: fear, excitement, energy, victory.The second movement, Air, sets the hymn in a number of ways. Featuring an offstage euphonium, the work begins with voices from the heavens, before the ensemble nostalgically holds on to each note in the second verse. A more straightforward, and perhaps poignant, setting for a brass choir follows, before a return to the offstage euphonium for a final sounding of the hymn.The finale movement, Space, is a moto perpetuo tour-de-force for the whole ensemble. Drawing on the hymn, the movement is underpinned by fast moving 16th notes in the winds and percussion whilst the brass play fragments of the hymn over the top of the driven ostinato.The work was commissioned by, and dedicated to, Major Matthew Clark and the Royal Canadian Air Force Band (Winnipeg, Canada).Peter Meechan 2023

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