A score-study version of this piece is available for Score-Level patrons on Patreon:

Listen to Theseus and the Minotaur:

Instrumentation:

Flute I
Flute II (dbl. Alto Flute)
Flute III (dbl. Piccolo)
II Oboes
Cor Anglais
II Clarinets in Bb
Bass Clarinet
II Bassoons
Contrabassoon

IV Horns in F
III Trumpets in Bb
II Tenor Trombones
Bass Trombone
Tuba

Timpani
Percussion I (Snare Drum, Vibraphone)
Percussion II (Triangle, Bass Drum, Tambourine)
Percussion III (Crash Cymbals, Tam-tam, 4 tom-toms)

Celeste (dbl. Piano)

Harp

Violin I
Violin II
Viola
Violoncello
Contrabass

Program Notes:

In the summer of 2021, Jordan Holloway asked if I would be willing to compose a brand new 20-minute long symphony for full orchestra for a program for the Dad Village Symphony Orchestra, his virtual ensemble of players from around the world. Though a bit intimidated by the task, I accepted.

What's important for me and my writing is to have some kind of concept to write around, and especially to have a story to tell. When thinking of what kind of story could support such a grand piece, I thought of Greek mythology. I know those stories well and I have since I was a kid. I eventually settled on the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, for a few reasons. In the story, the hero Theseus is tasked by King Minos to travel to the Island of Crete to kill the Minotaur, the big half-man half-bull which has been demanding a sacrifice every number of years. The Minotaur lives in a great labyrinth, a humongous maze built to contain the beast. So, for me, Theseus represents each of us, the hero in our own story. The Labyrinth represents the uncertainty of the future. I had one semester left of college when Jordan asked me to do this, so I felt uncertainty in my own life as I was facing the "real world" for the first time, or maybe it could also represent the uncertainty of going through a worldwide pandemic. The Minotaur represents that obstacle in our way. The monster, in whatever form it takes before us, that we must conquer in order to make it to the other side.

Aesthetically, I wanted this to feel like the score to a classic Hollywood epic film from the 1950's or 60's. So the first movement, I. Theseus, begins with a large fanfare utilizing the entire orchestra. This is Theseus’ theme, played gallantly and with confidence, utilizing strong harmony to support it. From there, we hear themes for the setting of the Mediterranean, King Minos, and hear Theseus sailing to the Island of Crete. As we get closer to the end of the movement, however, we start to feel some uneasiness in the music. Theseus is no longer feeling as confident as he was at the beginning. The orchestration changes to foreshadow the kind of style that is prevalent in the next movement.

The second movement, II. Labyrinth, begins with a pair of bassoons playing an ascending octatonic scale to set the kind of harmony used in this movement. We now hear darker orchestration, with music that is now murky, foggy, and mysterious. We get the sense that Theseus is losing his sense of self, with his thoughts slipping out of his mind. The music is cyclical, repetitive, and dizzying. As Theseus finds himself in the chamber where the Minotaur lives, that takes us into the third movement. III. The Minotaur is put together like a big action sequence between Theseus and the monster. We hear several motifs that represent the Minotaur, not one specific theme. We do hear Theseus' theme in this movement, but in fragments, never in its grand form. We hear it combat the Minotaur's motifs. Ultimately, spoiler alert, Theseus destroys the beast and the Minotaur goes down.

As Theseus makes it out of the Labyrinth we are taken into movement four, IV. Ariadne and the Return Home. In the story, Ariadne is Theseus' love interest and is waiting for him outside of the maze. We hear a grand, lush love theme in the style of those classic Hollywood films. Theseus' theme returns, as does the theme for the Mediterranean, and they both continue to develop. This is all until we get to the end of the movement, which should sound quite familiar.

My thanks go to Jordan for asking me to compose this piece, the players of the DVSO for putting in the time to learn and record their parts, Bruce Broughton for helping me navigate writing such a large piece, and my loved ones for all of their support.

- Ernesto Aguirre

Watch a behind-the-scenes video on how I put this piece together: