Nibiru, the Bringer of Doom

As a big thank you to my good friend Kevin Scott -- director of the SUNY Orange Symphonic Band -- for greatly
supporting my music, I decided to approach him about composing a work specifically for his ensemble. A countless
number of ideas came to mind, but we initially settled on a Native American themed work. With many drafts started,
but a tight composition deadline, I scrapped the idea and approached Kevin again about composing a work based on
the end of the world; he was intrigued by the idea. Immediately, I decided to center this work on the fictional planet
Nibiru.

Nibiru, the Bringer of Doom is not meant to sound pretty at all. In fact, my goal with this work is to portay what I call
"primordial" beauty. As the title suggests, this piece is also somewhat of a tribute to one of the greatest composers of
all time (in my opinion), Gustav Holst. You will even hear a minor alteration of the opening melody from Holst's
infamous work, Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity.

If you are not familiar with Nibiru -- also known as Planet X -- it is the fictional planet that is supposed to collide with
our planet sometime in 2012; this is according to conspiracy theorists. Of course, this has been rejected by a countless
number of accredited scientists, but I digress. This "doomsday" planet is not only present within our own pop culture,
but it was actually a star in both the Babylonian and Sumerian mythologies. Nibiru was even confused for the planet
Jupiter in ancient cultures; hence the reference to Gustav Holst.

Throughout each section of this piece, one can visualize Nibiru making its way through the universe on a collision
course towards Earth. Once it enters our solar system, represented by flourishing woodwinds and soaring brass, the
two planets collide. Through constantly changing meters and biting brass, the destruction of all life on our planet is
imminent. The final slow section represents the absence of Nibiru and Earth after their collision. The universe is very
quiet, but it still has that sense of hostility lingering somewhere; hence the change to a darker E-flat Phrygian tonality.
The final dissonant chord signifies the fact that this hostility will erupt once again sometime in the distant (or near)
future.

This work was completed in October of 2011. If you're interested in more of my music or even purchasing this piece (or any of my other music), you may visit my website HERE.