Iron Rain

SSAA/Piano 4-hands (4’20”). Randall’s newest SSAA work!

Text by Sam Illingworth (Edinburgh Napier University) Professor of Physics and Astronomy

In 2013, an extreme exoplanet of the constellation Pisces was discovered.  It is a planet with day temperatures of 4,350 degrees Fahrenheit – splitting molecules into atoms, and melting iron and other surface metals into rising vapor.  Then at night, the vapor “cloud” cools, the iron solidifies again, and plummets back to the surface.  Hence the title of the work, Iron Rain.

IRON RAIN is written for a more advanced ensemble and sturdy pianists; all-state or competition show piece for both singers and pianists.

…. the faint twinkling of distant

stars expose giant globes of

gaseous ferocity;

their inferred magnitude

drifting too close to their sun,

falling like Icarus into

a labyrinth of tidal force.

As the searing heat

scorches the barren sky,

estranged metals disperse into

the turbulent atmosphere,

carried by Khamsin to

the cool, crisp nights,

where they tumble

to the surface

as a cooling balm of

ferrous mist.

Lost in time,

like rust in rain.

The work is available electronically. Once the following is received, you will receive the pdf in 1-2 days!

Iron Rain PDF download: $80 (allows one to make as many copies as needed for the ensemble)