Composer's notes

A steam engine train runs in my hometown. I can hear the sound of the steam whistle on the wind. The sound can be exciting or nostalgic, depending on the time of day and my feelings at the time. One time I took a short trip on the train. It ran through the plains, crossed a railroad bridge, climbed a steep grade as hard as it could, and then I got off at a station and it drove away with the whistle blowing. There were spectacular views on the journey, and local people waving to us along the tracks. I hope that such peaceful times will continue forever.
In this work, too, I have included a variety of scenes so that everyone might experience such a journey. Please try to imagine what each scene is like as you play the piece. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the first railroad. Whether you are a railroad enthusiast or not, we hope you will enjoy playing the piece while feeling the romance of a brief railroad journey and, by extension, of history.

Performance notes
Part 1: (1) Clarinet and Soprano Sax. parts may be played by Trumpet.
Part 2: (1) When Part 1 is played by Flute, please play it an octave higher from measure 94 to 104. (If it is difficult to play in the range, measure 101 may be rested.)
(2) For bars 112 and 113, Horn may be played an octave higher (esp. if Part 3 is present, play upper octave).
(3) When Part 3 is present, rehearsal numbers [B] and [E] may be played only with either Part 2 or 3.
Part 3: (1)Trumpet does not have to play the notes in parentheses.
(2) For Trumpet, where it says (8va), please play the octave above. (For Clarinet, either octave is fine.)
(3) When Part 2 is Horn, please play the rehearsal number [N] in the lower octave.
(4) Bars 145-151 may or may not be played.
Part 4: (1) When Part 2 is Horn, measures 123, 125, and 127 should be played lower octave.
When Part 5 is Tuba, please also play the lower note in measure 124.

(Yuka Yamashita)