Snapdragons by Mihir Borah (JMU BM '25) - JMU Wind Symphony

JMU Wind Symphony
Stephen P. Bolstad, conductor
Apr. 3, 2024

PROGRAM NOTE
I had no concrete inspiration when I started, but as I continued writing, the
more I was drawn to themes of nature, and especially the idea of “flower
language”. Antirrhinum, known as snapdragons because of their resemblance to a dragon’s face opening and closing when squeezed, have been known to represent strength and graciousness, but also deception, mischief, and playfulness - I chose them as the namesake for this piece to represent the dichotomy between the calm, peaceful music and the exciting, upbeat music.

Much of the material in Snapdragons was inspired by bits and pieces of the
repertoire I was playing in my ensembles at the time, alternating between
minimalist-adjacent textures and jazz-funk-adjacent ideas. It opens with a calm, serene section, sparsely decorated with “blossoming” flourishes in the
woodwinds. This builds to an explosive climax that drops off into a piano solo, which is where the playful jazzy feel is first introduced. An expansion of that piano solo played by the full ensemble follows. Saxophone and trombone solis lead into a much slower, peaceful section that features a trio of English horn, flugelhorn, and alto flute. The full ensemble takes over for a heroic hit before the final push to the end - the “blossoming” textures return in soprano saxophone and E-flat clarinet solos, and a final shout chorus, complete with a woodwind feature, brings it home.

-Program note by composer