The Dachstein

In 1980 and 1981 I lived at the foot of the Dachstein in Schladming, Austria. In 2001 I met Lawrence Stoffel, and had a poster from Schladming in his office. It turns out that he went to a music festival that was held in Schladming. When he asked me to write a piece for wind ensemble, the subject of the Dachstein seemed most appropriate (it is rare in downstate Illinois to find someone who knows the small town of Schladming, which had 4,000 people when I lived there).

Dr. Stoffel left downstate Illinois for a position at CSUN in Northridge, California, and in 2005 he conducted the first performance of "The Dachstein." You can listen to a recording of it here.


May, 2002

The score and parts are available from Subito.

Schladming, as you can see, is one of the most physically beautiful places on earth.