Evergreen 2025 - Original Composition

Описание: Evergreen is finished!

I've been meaning to rerecord all of my old pieces now that I'm setup in the proper studio and no occasion was more appropriate for Evergreen than the crossing of the finish line for the fic that this piece owes it's existance too!

After more than nine years Ani has knocked the ball out of the park once again and uploaded the epilogue, if by some miracle you're a Zootopia fan and haven't read Evergreen now is the perfect time to! Links to the story on AO3 and FFN can be found below.

Ani is a supremely talented writer and an amazingly kind and generous person who it's been a joy to get to know over the past four plus years. This video, like the original I recorded back in the October of 2021 is dedicated to him and the wonderful story he has painstakingly crafted. It's a confusing and exciting time to be a Zootopia fan now with the the sequel right around the corner, but not matter what happens I will always love Evergreen and cannot wait to see what you come up with next my friend!

Below are my thoughts and feelings on the piece copied from the original video, my thoughts regarding it haven't changed much since then but maybe I'll do an updated commentary at some point, who knows!

Without further adieu I hope you all enjoy Evergreen, and again if you haven't already go and read Ani's fic, you will not be disappointed!

That all being said this is 'Evergreen'; inspired by the fic of the same name by Aninat131 and dedicated to the author. It's a wonderful ongoing story than I heartily recommend any Zoot fans read (a link can be found below) and Ani is an awesome person who I've had some great chats with since we initially started talking about the story!

The piece itself is a somewhat programmatic exploration of Nick's inner thoughts/mental turmoil throughout the story. The A-flat major melody that repeatedly returns throughout is content, happy even but it's not totally at rest. It initially appears in a 5/4 time signature that has an innately unbalanced feeling and is filled with almost bare harmonies and unresolved suspensions: it's music that's staying afloat but it doesn't know how long it can manage to; it can paddle, but it can't swim. Judy has had an immensely positive impact on Nick's life by the film's end and this story's early chapters but he still has demon's in his past; demons that he at the minute isn't ready to confront and as such are still shaping his future. The early subjects explore these feelings before a dark, almost foreboding F minor subject takes over representing Nick at his lowest before giving way to another major section that almost seems to find solace in resignation. The next repetition of that central theme signifies a sort of crossroads as initially a sort of contentment is found in those arpeggiated chords. Yet immediately after the intro subject returns first as an almost whisper before it begins to grow, and grow in energy and intensity as it finds its own courage. The dark theme from early returns but this time it moves first to the subdominant and then to the tonic of the major; the pressures of the past are still there but the resolution to face them has been found and they're no longer an unassailable summit. Finally we here two last repetitions of that central theme; first in the left hand underneath two high trills at the very top of the piano and then in the centre of the piano in a chordal fashion. The unwieldy 5/4 of before has now been replaced with a balanced 4/4 and while mainly of the harmonies still feel minimal the bare almost barren feeling of earlier has been replaced by something a little more complete.

God I hate talking about my own music, but that's a look into how my head works when I'm staring at Sibelius. Hopefully at least someone enjoys reading that without there eyes glazing over!

Another huge thanks to Ani for allowing me to write a piece for his wonderful fic which can be found here.

AO3 - https://archiveofourown.org/works/525...
FFN - https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11953082...

It's amazing, go and check it out!