The Forest of Tears - Ron Miller (2005) -- approx. 11 min.

The Forest of Tears is an elegy for the planet’s rapidly-vanishing rain forests.  Rainforests cover about 2 percent of the Earth’s surface, yet they contain over half of the plant and animal species on Earth. They are the Earth’s oldest living ecosystems: fossil records show that the rain forests of Southeast Asia have existed in more or less their present form for 70 to 100 million years.  Rainforests are being destroyed at an astounding rate.  One and one-half acres of rainforest are lost every second, with tragic consequences for both developing and industrial countries.  By some estimates, the last remaining rainforest could be consumed in less than 40 years.

Subtitled “Meditations on the World’s Vanishing Rainforests”, The Forest of Tears is in four sections.  The opening and closing sections represent the canopy of the forest.  Rain sticks are used by the percussionists, and bird calls are played by the woodwinds against a wistful string theme.

The second section leads us on a hike through the swaying trees and vines on the forest floor, accompanied by “tropical” percussion.  The third section represents a chase: although peaceful from afar, the floor of the rainforest sees the constant struggle for survival.

The piece closes with more birdcalls, which fade into silence. 

The Forest of Tears was composed for, and dedicated to the Peninsula Youth Orchestra and their conductor, Mitchell Sardou Klein, in honor of their eighth season and tour of Southern France and Spain.

Orchestration:
*3-*3-*3-2 - 4-3-3-1 - 4 perc -timp - hp - str.
Percussion includes Orchestra Bells, Crash Cymbals, Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Trap-set Bass Drum, Temple Blocks, Maracas, Triangle, Claves, Bongos, Congas, Rain Sticks (at least 2), and Tam-Tam.
Auxiliary instruments: A collection of bird calls, with a variety of sounds, but more "chirpy" sounds than "Crow-caw" sounds.

On Bass Drums: The standard orchestral bass drum seems to have a loose, hollow sound.  The sound required in the third section of Forest of Tears is a very tight, sharp sound like that produced by a trap-set bass drum with a pedal.  If the Orchestral Bass Drum can be sufficiently damped to produce this sound, it can be substituted for the Trap-set drum.

Listen to The Forest of Tears (The Peninsula Symphony Orchestra, 2007, Mitchell Sardou Klein conducting)