Zones by Jennifer Higdon

ZONES is about the various reactions people have to war…more specifically, the Vietnam War. This work deals with war and the reactions that soldiers in the field (grunts) have when going into battle. Though the reactions are not all similar, they all are, understandably, some of the strongest feelings a human being can experience. I chose these emotions as an inspiration for this piece—especially since drums have historically played such an important roll in war throughout time. The use of a CD part is symbolic of the Vietnam conflict—it is representative of the modern technology that was very much a part of that war. ZONES refers to war zones as well as those various reactions of the mind and emotion to war.