ORCHESTRA WITH SOLOIST OR CHOIR
Harp Concerto:
Harp Concerto (2023) – 16’30”
The first movement relies on short, two-note pairs combined with melodies drawn from a four-note head motive consisting of a rising triplet and a longer note a seventh above the starting pitch. There are two main melodies created in this way. The first is introduced by the horn. It is bold and resembles a fanfare. Its middle section incorporates the short two-note pairs, and the section ends with a cadenza accompanied by snare drum. The second melody is introduced by the trumpet above muted strings and is often accompanied by two-note pairs. It is relaxed and calming. The first melody returns on the harp to conclude the movement. The second movement begins mysteriously, with both harp and string glissandi. This evolves into an accompanied brass chorale, later elaborated by the full orchestra. Muted violins introduce a mournful theme, taken up by a trumpet duet accompanied by the harp and then by the full orchestra. The chorale returns, changed by the intervening theme. The chorale then alternates with a lighter triplet theme before the mournful theme returns as a viola solo accompanied by the harp. The mood of this theme brightens before the movement ends with the lighter triplet theme. A lively theme introduced by the harp dominates the third movement. It is interrupted only once for a brief harp cadenza, then returns to conclude the movement. MIDI recording.
Coves and Inlets (2022) for harp and chamber orchestra – 12’30” The coves and inlets along a shoreline create a tempered beauty. Although the water is moving, it is rarely rough. The tides move in and out. Birds fish the coastal waters. People line the beaches, swim the shallows, and occupy and captain the boats. These are often glorious sights found across the globe, uniting us all in a love of the earth. Imagine the harp as an individual exploring these waters. The orchestra creates the seascape/landscape of the exploration. Together, they form a bond uniting the individual and the coastline. MIDI recording.
Piano Concerto:
Piano Concerto (7/9/22) for solo piano, brass [2 2 2 1], 4 perc & strings – 18’30”. The work is in three movements. The first movement is full of changing moods. The absence of woodwinds and the use of percussion, as well as frequent chromaticism, give the opening its darker character. However, by the second minute of the piece, rising figures bring a warmer mood. The adagio is somber and dramatic and introduces the first piano solo and a feeling of melancholy. The movement concludes in a faster tempo with driving rhythms and fiery piano figures. The middle movement is slow and atmospheric. The use of a lyric and homophonic brass chorale diffuses the tension and holds the movement together. The first piano solo in this movement is backed by counter melodies from solo violin and crotales that mask the piano’s sense of jazz ballad and gospel solo. The brass return with a theme reminiscent of ragtime and Dixieland jazz. It is soon followed by a second piano solo backed by bongos, claves, tambourine, snare drum and cymbals that is based on the ragtime material. When this slows, the opening adagio returns, concluding with the brass chorale. MIDI recording.
A Day on the Orient Express (10/22/13) for solo piano and chamber orchestra [2 2 2 2, 2 1 0 0, timp, perc, solo piano, strings] – 13’25”. I have tried to capture the mystique of riding the Orient Express in its heyday during the 1920s. I think of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot but with only a hint of crime. There is an immediate air of mystery created by the solo piano’s opening gesture, followed by the rather dreamy, jazzy opening section with orchestra. As the train gets underway, the strings develops a lively theme accompanied by rising gestures from the piano and short interjections from the brass. The section continues with a lightly accompanied solo piano theme, a dialog between the brass and woodwinds and a passage with ascending scales from the piano. The piano’s opening gesture returns and a solo introduces a slow section representing a mountain landscape. Next there is an oriental soundscape (harp, bassoon, xylophone and piano) and again the mountain landscape. The hint of crime occurs in the somber section in quintuple meter that features timpani and muted brass. The lively string theme associated with the movement of the train returns in D major, accompanied only by the snare drum. When the piano and brass enter, this theme moves to A major, and our journey nears its end. The piano’s opening gesture transitions to the dreamy, jazzy section that started the work.
Flute Concerto:
Light from Lambent Peaks (1983) concerto for solo flute and orchestra [2/1 2 2/1 2, 4 3 2 1, Timp, Perc, Solo Flute, Strings] – 12’00”.
Clarinet Concerto:
Concerto for Clarinet and Strings (2012) – 14’50”. The first movement, Passion, begins with a cadenza for the clarinet. The first theme at the entrance of the strings is somber and tense. A second theme is introduced by sustained strings, imitated by the clarinet. The first theme returns and is interrupted again by sustained strings that evolve into a third theme characterized by the frequent use of triplets. The clarinet cadenza returns, and a brief reference to the first theme brings the movement to its end. The second movement, Frustration, begins with a jagged but sustained melody in the lower strings answered by descending scales from the clarinet. Dissonant chords follow along with a string accompaniment related to rhythms from the first movement. The entire second movement develops from these elements, ending with another clarinet cadenza. The third movement, Jubilation, is a light, cheerful rondo. It features wide leaps and arpeggios in the clarinet part, things particularly suited to the instrument. MIDI recording.
Trumpet Concerto:
Concert Piece for Trumpet and Orchestra (6/28/13) [2 2 2 2, 4 2 2 1, timp, perc, piano, solo trumpet & strings] – 9’40”. MIDI recording.
Orchestra and Chorus:
(No recordings here – MIDI recordings do not record texts)
Songs of Love and Joy (1/11/17) for SATB chorus and orchestra [2 2 2 2, 4 2 3 1, timp., 3 perc. and strings] – 10”45”
I went to the woods (11/7/14) for chorus and orchestra (3 3 3 3, 4 3 3 1, timp., 3 perc. [S.D., cymbals, claves, Glockenspiel, xylophone], harp, strings) – 11’35”. The work uses a text from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden.
Orchestra with Vocal Soloist:
(No recordings here – MIDI recordings do not record texts)
Men in Love (8/5 2015) for baritone and orchestra [3 2 2 2, 5 3 3 1, timp, 2 perc, strings] – Duration: 29’00”. This can be done as two sets of five songs – duration of each set approximately 15’00”. Men in Love is a song cycle in a very loose sense. It consists of ten songs related to men’s feelings about women as mistresses, lovers, wives, and objects of beauty. The cycle was originally written for baritone and piano, but the work seemed destined to be orchestrated. The texts are by ten different public domain authors and create no organized story. In fact, it is possible to sing only some of the songs and create “short stories” with those choices.