Wingert-Jones Publications Fight or Flight - Fillinger - Concert Band - Gr. 4 Fight or Flight - Fillinger - Concert Band - Gr. 4

Composer: Ryan Fillinger
Format: Score and Parts
Instrumentation: Concert Band
Grade: 4

Description
Fight or Flight explores the psychological and physiological response to danger and uncertainty. This driving piece is filled with intense and dramatic musical contrasts, and will captivate performers and audiences alike.

Program Notes
The fight-or-flight response is defined as a psychological response triggered when one is faced with a danger or threat. It's a natural reaction that releases hormones that prepare the body to either stay and confront, or to flee. In other words, it is our most primal and basic survival instinct.

I pondered how I could capture such a concept with music, so that it was thrilling and exciting as well as perceivable and easy to grasp. Eventually, I realized two main motifs, one bold and striking in tone to represent the "fight" response, and the other urgent and relentless to represent the "flight" response. These two motifs were then given their own sections within an arc-shaped form, creating a "full-circle" narrative feel that builds tension until the very end. The resulting work is Fight or Flight, a piece filled with energy, excitement, and high stakes that is sure to be a riveting experience for performers and audiences alike.