*Winner,
2013 Brazosport Symphony Orchestra Composition Competition*
*Finalist, 2014 Austin Civic Orchestra Composition Contest*
*Honorable Mention, 2017 Joliet Symphony Orchestra Composition Contest*
Krikkit Variations is loosely based on the
book "Life, the Universe and Everything" by Douglas Adams.
The plot of the book concerns the people of the planet Krikkit, a
people who believe in
"peace, justice, morality, culture, sport, and family life".
Their planet is surrounded by an immense dust cloud,
so the entire sky is black and they have no concept of space.
The citizens of Krikkit have their world disrupted
when a spaceship crashes onto their planet. They
reverse-engineer the ship and make the trip outside of the dust cloud.
When presented with the newly incomprehensible vastness of the
universe, the beings of Krikkit quickly become a race that
believes in "peace, justice, morality, culture, sport, family life, and
the obliteration of all other life forms".
Krikkit Variations is, in effect, a set of variations on a group of
melodic and rhythmic motives.
These motives are displayed in the opening scene, and "idealistic"
pastoral setting on the planet Krikkit.
The melody develops and hints at a few troubling signs, but continues
on in a peaceful manner until the spaceship crashes,
irrevocably setting the confused citizens of Krikkit on a path towards
evil. This transformation occurs through the remainder of the
piece,
as they struggle to adapt to the enormous new change in their world,
build an army of coldly ruthless white robots, and eventually
begin their battle against the rest of the universe.
University of Texas
Symphony Orchestra Reading Session
Alejandro Gutiérrez,
Conductor