Album Notes

"Wonderfully Haunting. Well Done!" - Jeff Shaara, author Gods & Generals

WRONG NOTE MEDIA, INC. is excited to announce the release of the world premiere recording of Todd Goodman's Symphony No. 1 Fields of Crimson, the first civil war based symphony of its kind. The Altoona Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Nicholas Palmer, performs this work in the historic Mishler Theatre in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Fields of Crimson is the creative and evocative retelling of the battle of Gettysburg through the power of music. The five movement work takes the listener through pre-battle preparations, the three days of battle, and a heart warming elegy. Feelings of anxiousness, terror, horror, relief and excitement are well placed emotions felt throughout the listening of this tremendous new work.

The composer writes this of his work:
When I was a boy growing up in central Pennsylvania, the Civil War was an omnipresent theme. Although people didn't speak much about it, the ruins of battlefields, historical markers, and monuments, just to name a few, were always its constant reminder. The older I got, the more I realized how integral these few years of history were to the molding of the foundation of America. When I finally visited these battlefields, the impression left on my mind was one of humble and noble awe. Lives were lost for freedom; freedom from tyranny, freedom of rights, and freedom for life. Symphony No. 1 "Fields of Crimson" is my rendition of this story; my realization and understanding of the necessary horrible evil of war... and my memorial.

The piece is accompanied by a moving narration written by Bedford, Pennsylvania native Justin Cober, currently of Charlottesville, Virginia. The narration is written as diary entries from the perspective of an adolescent girl who lived in the town of Gettysburg in 1863. It tells of the tension in the average family home, the weather, the excitement, and the grief. Being read by central Pennsylvania TV personality Carolyn Donaldson, the narration and music combine and create a dramatic theatrical reenactment of these horrible yet crucial days in American History.