Legends of Olympus

Following the successful commission of HELIOS, the Gaudete Brass Quintet subsequently commissioned this expansion into a five-movement suite depicting deities. Helios was the god of the sun. His head wreathed in light, he daily drove a chariot across the sky. The first half of this musical depiction is fast-paced and very energetic, while the second half is slow and serene, representing day and night. Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, was born from the sea and carried herself with the regal bearing of a queen. Each year, her beauty was replenished by a dive into the sea. Hermes was a merry and mischievous young god with a sharp wit, chosen by Zeus as the messenger between the inhabitants of Olympus and the people on earth. Apollo was the god of music, depicted here strumming his golden lyre. Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, wine, and revelry. In this movement, Dionysus arrives at a party bearing wine; the party gets more and more frenzied as the partiers drink and dance the night away.