Bandaid

by Leevi Räsänen

for symphonic wind band

Description

Perhaps the world’s most famous bandage is the Band-Aid. Nowadays, it has become so iconic that in English-speaking countries, the word “Band-Aid” is commonly used to refer to any adhesive bandage. The word “band” can refer to any group of people. In wind and other orchestral music, it has even become synonymous with an orchestra — a “band.”

In the fall of 2024, I was sketching this piece: I drew a diagonal line rising from the lower left to the upper right, intersected by a series of rectangles that resembled bandages. In the center of the vertical rectangles, there were overlapping horizontal rectangles on top of them, like the absorbent pads of bandages. It felt natural to embrace this image of a bandage.

The pad is soft and absorbent. It is porous. The surface of the bandage has a firmly adhesive layer that requires a quick and explosive force to tear off. Perhaps it even causes a slight sense of hesitation — courage must be gathered before removing it.

On the other hand, the defined lines in the sketch I drew had a sense of stateliness and clarity. That is what I strived for in this piece, which was composed with its young premiere performers in mind.

Instrumentation

3140 5 443 00021 5, db [pic, bcl, 2asax, 2tsax, barsax]

Category

Works for Wind Orchestra

Commissioned by / Dedicated to

Commissioned by the Conscript Band of the Finnish Defence Forces

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Archive number

MF35981

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