We’re back in the concert band review field with John Mackey’s “Lightening Field.” It begins sparkling in a haunting G minor.The G tonality is the overarching tonality in the whole piece. It seems to brilliantly bounce back and forth between the G tonality and D, much of the time by the rush into A-flat, a half step above the home key. It has elements of most of his other works including the fabulous “Asphalt Cocktail,” and most recently “Winedark Open Sea.” The reason to say this is in the latter half of the piece there is a 6/8 part that goes into A-flat with a ferocious attack of accents back to the G tonality where the piece ends almost too soon.
It is an action-packed horn-filled fun that really is awesome. All the frills are just great. They are very silvery and illustrious. There is a fabulous striking sound with a percussion instrument that is pitched on a quarter note D to start things off. The chromaticism is wide-ranging and bright. The work is heavily brass-driven which gives it a certain type of appeal. The hints of the minor second A-flat peck away at the G minor tonality. The percussion is smashing as well in execution. The work gives a great thunder and command for attention. The whole piece ends with a huge swell in the percussion department and then a straight G minor chord.
The work is a whirlwind of creativity that is characteristic of almost all of John Mackey’s works. He is vivid and colorful in his use of the band. The woodwinds are the scattering instruments while the brass are the main focal point. It’s a great combination of instrumentation and execution of melody and harmony. I love the piece and it’s a great addition to the Mackey catalog.
