The Lost - 00 - Full Score (Tabloid)

Programme Note
When I first moved to the United States I noticed a
frequent public announcement in the newspaper and on
advertising materials in my mailbox. It showed a photo of a
missing child or teenager, along with a second ‘ageprogressed’
photo to show what they would look like now.
If you recognised the second photo you were encouraged to
call the number of the National Center for Missing &
Exploited Children, 1-800-The-Lost. I thought of the pain
that parents and family of such a child must feel, never
knowing whether he or she was still alive somewhere out
there.
It was not until mid-2021 when this idea started to
transform itself into music. However, writing The Lost
during the coronavirus pandemic and then the invasion of
Ukraine, with images of grief on television screens and in
newspapers, and finally the unexpected illness and death of
a dearly loved family member, the music evolved into a
wider reflection on human loss.
The Lost is built upon 7 very long bass pedal points: C,
G, Ab, Eb, F, Db, C. The chords above are played very quietly
by four overlapping groups of woodwind, mallet percussion
and brass, creating a kind of ‘sonic mist’. The solo cello
shares the foreground and middle-ground in passages
mainly of a reflective or nostalgic nature, until an intense
climax leads to an expressive soliloquy. The conclusion of
the piece suggests some measure of acceptance and calm.
Christopher Marshall
Orlando, May 2022