A Mountain of Hope (2026)

A Mountain of Hope is inspired by hope and the longing of hope. The feeling of being alone or isolated with your hope (hopelessness), in the contrast to feeling united in hope, connected and empowered collectively. Through hopes and dreams we define, change and create the world of today, now and for the future. Collectively we can move mountains.

It is by daring to share, express and act, that we see, hear, understand and feel our connection in hope and dreams.

This piece is dedicated to everyone who is in the need of feeling connected through shared hope. Together we can become mountains.

Mountains of hope, will and voices; - wings for peace, honesty, dignity and prosperity for all.

The 7 movements of the piece are:

Movement #1 A Cry from Within (m. 1-51)

Movement #2 A Thunderstorm Approaching (including Chapter 1-3 with possible repetitions and improvisation) (m. 52-141)

Movement #3 A Cleansing Rain (m. 53-167)

Movement #4 A Mountain appears gradually through the Clouds (m. 168-225)

Movement #5 A Mountain of Hope (m. 226-240)

Movement #6 Individual Raindrops gather in Roaring Rivers^* (m. 241-267)

Movement #7 The Force of Hope (m. 268-282)

All movements are played attacca.

An explanation of the vision and parallel layers:

Movement #1 A Cry from Within, is an inner journey of pain, and hopelessness

Movement #2 A Thunderstorm Approaching, is an outer journey of a thunderstorm approaching moving from behind the mountain and gradually coming closer. We can calculate the distance from we see the lightning to we hear the thunder, to figure out how far away the lightning is: For each 3 seconds, the storm is 1 kilometer away. Through this movement, the thunderstorm slowly approaches, the distance between lightning and thunder decreases gradually. A parallel inner layer in this movement is the uncoordinated energy flowing around and inside us. Hope that is lost in small pockets of life and disconnected circles. We do not know that we share a hope unless we, or others around us, articulate our experiences, visions, dreams, worries and values.

Movement #3 A Cleansing Rain, a cleansing rainfall, this relates to both and inner and an outer phenomenon and experience.

Movement #4 A Mountain appears gradually through the Clouds, gradually the weather clears up, the winds calms down and the clouds surrounding the mountain passes. The mountain reveals its grandness and beauty, the calm, steady, grounded mountain. The nature and weather that can change swiftly, and to extremes, in these high altitudes. Life is not easy, but when it is calm and clear it is breathtakingly beautiful. We end at the top of the mountain and can see far away, with a clear overview, perspective and calmness. This movement can also relate to both an inner and an outer journey and experience.

Movement #5 A Mountain of Hope, it all begins with one person, and from here it grows, the hope and the dreams. Together we can become mountains. Mountains of hope, will and voices; - wings for peace, honesty, dignity, respect and prosperity for all. The melody written for Solo Viola is inspired by the song Krunk composed by Komitas Vardapet (also Gomidas Vartabed) (Sept. 26, 1896, in Kütahya, Ottoman Empire, to Oct. 22, 1935, in Paris, France), an Armenian priest, composer, singer, music ethnologist, music teacher and musicologist, known as the founder of modern Armenian classical music. 

Movement #6 Individual Raindrops gather in Roaring Rivers^*, the collective voices and hopes that gather one by one, creating a roaring river and force. Both literally in the raindrops becoming great rivers running down outside and inside the mountain, but also as people gathering, experiencing collective voices in unison, as well as a personal inner emotional journey.

Movement #7 The Force of Hope, individually and collectively, remembering the shattered individual that we met in the beginning of the piece, the main theme and the cry from within. Connecting the beginning frustration, pain and isolation, to a grand empowering of both the individual and the collective. Together we can reverse the pain and despair to energy and hope, the darkness into light, the hopelessness into a mountain of hope. And there are many mountains of hope out there. We just have to find them, among others by sharing and reaching out, by being open, aware, respectful and responsible, trying to act and live our values, if possible. Somehow it all comes down to listening to oneself and to others.

Lil Lacy, 2026
Copenhagen, Denmark