The Legend of Spirit Island

The Legend of Spirit Island was commissioned by the Twin Ports Wind Orchestra, Duluth, Minnesota (Mark Whitlock, conductor), to honour the euphonium player, Dick Carlson. The piece takes its title from a local legend about Spirit Island, which lies in a gap of the St. Louis River called Spirit Lake. The legend tells the story of Chaska, the son of a Dakota Chief, and Wetona, the daughter of Ojibwe Chief Buckado. He was handsome and she was beautiful; it wasn’t long before they fell in love. This is a challenging euphonium solo in which the versatile soloist can explore very expressive melodic sequences, as well as energetic, technical sections.