I composed Above The Clouds during a visit to Southern California on February 3rd, 1989—three years before I would eventually move there. The inspiration came mid-flight, as I looked out the window. I wanted to write something “Classical” in style, but rooted in the impressionistic era. Though I never performed the piece publicly, I did orchestrate it a few years later and created a mockup using MIDI synthesizers.
Original Manuscript
