Wrong-Mountain Stomp (string trio)

“Wrong-Mountain Stomp” tells the story of Jenny, a young girl who has spent her whole life growing up in the hills of Appalachia. Jenny has tired of her life there, and she decides to move to “bigger mountains,” specifically, the mountains of Vail, Colorado. (The work was commissioned by the Vail Valley Music Festival.) In the first movement, “Mama, I’m Leavin’,” Jenny gets in a fight with her mama and, well, leaves, slamming the door on her way out. In the second movement, “Billy, I’m Leavin’,” Jenny breaks the news of her departure to her boyfriend, Billy. Jenny (played here by the violin) and Billy (played here by the cello) are both terribly sad that Jenny is leaving, but Billy takes the news especially hard. (Billy tends to wear his emotions on his sleeve.) In the final movement, “This Train’s Leavin’,” Jenny boards the train and heads for Vail.

I realize that there is no train service between Appalachia and Vail, but it’s a lot easier to write music that sounds like a train than music that sounds like a Greyhound Bus.