[[[[[[[[[[ "El Capitan" Program Notes ]]]]]]]]]]

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"El Capitan," located in the Yosemite National Park in the northern part of California, is a 3,000 foot rock formation which overlooks the scenic Yosemite Valley.  This piece presents some images of the great El Capitan, personified here as the 'Master of Yosemite.'

The piece begins in the early morning.  A thunderstorm has just rolled through the Yosemite Valley and the air still smells of rain.  We hear the rumbling of thunder in the distance as wind washes through the valley.   We see a large, mostly nondescript silhouette to the west, largely obscured in the shadow of early morning and the insistent cloud cover.  Suddenly, the sun bursts forth and we see El Capitan.  The colors and contours of his enormous rock face are now clearly visible as the sunlight dances over the surface of it.  He is majestic and even fearsome, lording over the splendid natural wonder that is Yosemite.  We survey the scene.  Clear water flows freely and large pines dot the landscape climbing to the foot of El Capitan's granite face.  Morning gives way to the full light of day and we now follow birds flying through the valley and dancing over the mountain.  They dive and climb with ease on the wind, surveying the valley and its master, “El Cap.”  Later, we descend once more to the valley to as the bright colors of day slowly change to the more muted tones of evening.  The sun sets in the west with colors so brilliant they are barely to be believed.  El Capitan and the valley below, for one final moment, are illuminated before the sun finally descends below the horizon.  As the light fades from the sky, El Capitan, dark as pitch, drifts off in slumber, a hulking shadow under a clear sky full of stars.

Duration: approximately 10 minutes

– Drew R. Fennell
(November 16, 2007)