Commissioned by Apolloque Brass in 2017 and premiered at the 2018 Shiga Ensemble Contest.
"Petroglyphs" are illustrations of various designs and characters that humans wish to leave. They are engraved on the walls of rocks and caves, with some dating back to the Paleolithic era. Well-known patterns include depictions of the lives of ancient people, animals, pictograms, and mysterious symbols, all of which evoke the profound sensibility and potent energy that modern people may have lost. This work was composed with the theme of vividly portraying these petroglyphs in a ternary form: fast-slow-fast.

The first half captures the dynamic essence of the petroglyphs through music. Different aspects of expression such as short and long notes, intricate passages, scales, and tutti sections appear in turn and sometimes interweave. Therefore, it is crucial to pay meticulous attention to articulation and volume, making full use of each instrument's unique characteristics.

The middle part of the composition evokes the people of the era who created these petroglyphs. Perform this section with a completely different atmosphere from the preceding and following parts.

The first half is recapitulated in the second half, but it should not be a mere repetition. The music becomes even more uplifting, culminating in a tribute to this remarkable human heritage: "Petroglyphs." Throughout the performance, keep in mind the overall flow and manage your physical strength to deliver it with energy until the end.

(Yuichi Abe)