From the recording Kanata
2nd Movement of Kanata Suite
Composed by: Brandon Goodwin
Key: A minor
Time Signature: 3/4
Feel: Mournful Ballad
Soloists:
Julien Sandiford - Guitar
Masashi Usui - Tenor Saxophone
Syrian Lullaby was written at the height of the Syrian Refugee Crisis, and was inspired by the work of Arnold Schoenberg. It is a sad piece about a moment in world history that Canada has been part of, through military force as well as by accepting tens of thousands of Syrian refugees.
The piece begins with the theme stated twice and then moves into soulful improvisations by Julien and Masashi, before stating the theme once more.
This leads into Interlude 2 that which featured a solo guitar piece by Julien.
The Second Movement, “Syrian Lullaby”, is a stark contrast to Movement I, but for good reason. Fast forward a few hundred years to see how Canada’s ways of dealing with Others has changed. Canada welcomed tens of thousands of Syrian refugees during the Syrian Refugee Crisis, giving them a chance to restart their lives in a safer place. The lullaby aspect of this movement is a double edged sword. On the one hand it’s meant to bring comfort to newly landed immigrants in Canada. On the other hand it’s meant as an homage to those whose lives were lost during this conflict, an ode that might help them find peace.
I put a ballad as the second movement to create tension in the music, as it went from a high energy uptempo piece immediately into a slow sad ballad.
Syrian Lullaby leads into Interlude II, which features the brilliant guitarist Julien Sandiford. As usual, Julien displays an intelligent and mature-style of playing that goes far beyond his 25 years of age. His solo beautifully bridges the silence that would normally have been between two compositions, and brings cohesion to the suite.