Blast Off!

"Blast Off!" is a 2009 piece written by Richard R. Hembree for the advanced band. It is a Grade 6 piece and is about 14 minutes long. The piece was inspired by Richard Hembree's interest in astronomy and is dedicated to his mother, a science teacher who also has a passion for astronomy. The work depicts a scene in which astronomers must prepare for liftoff. The beginning of the piece is most adagio and contains a high sense of emotio, wheras the second portion is the point where the rocket takes off and the adventure begins.