Phydophia

An imaginary city shaped by energy, lights and dreams.

Phydophia is a work for concert band (Grade 3.5), lasting approximately 4 minutes 05 seconds.

The work opens with a grand introduction, immediately followed by an energetic theme built around irregular meters. Rhythms and contrasts evoke the movement, excitement and lights of an imaginary city in full activity.

In the second section, the atmosphere changes. The oboe takes the lead and invites the listener into a quieter, more contemplative moment — a dreamlike pause at the heart of the urban bustle.

But the calm is short-lived. The movement returns and the energy of the city re-emerges, bringing the ensemble back to the turmoil and vitality of the opening.

Through its combination of irregular rhythms, expressive passages and contrasting atmospheres, Phydophia offers musicians a short musical journey through a city that exists only in the imagination.

Phydophia is one of my early original compositions for concert band. Written at a time when I was beginning to explore more extensively the possibilities of the ensemble, the work retains a distinctive energy and spontaneity of its own.