Sam Wu: aerial silk roads (2025), for orchestra [SCORE]

0:04 sky 1:13 deserts 5:11 mountains 7:47 descent Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra (‪@riceuniversity‬) Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor I marvel at the ease with which we traverse continents and oceans today. Trade routes that once took caravans months, over treacherous terrains, are now traveled in a matter of hours; Asia and Europe are linked by one night's sleep forty-thousand feet in the air. aerial silk roads depicts this experience of transcontinental travel. We begin high in the sky, above clouds in East Asia. They soon part, revealing vast sand dunes beneath us. These rolling hills are in turn replaced by the towering mountains of Central Asia, their snow-capped tops glistening underneath a midday sun. Eventually, we begin our descent into clouds once more, as we reflect upon the landscapes we overflew, already anticipating the next time we take to the skies. #orchestra #symphony #sheetmusic #silkroad #composer #classicalmusic