ICO Concert No 3 Repertoire

I met my new ensemble yesterday for the first time and can't wait to get started working on the repertoire that I have selected for the 3rd Intermediate Concert Orchestra performance of the Summer 2015 season at Interlochen.  It is a great group of kids and there are many returning musicians from previous summers.  Also, my son, Cael is a member of the bass section, so that is a new experience for both of us and I know that will make the second three week session even more memorable.  

We sight read most of the music in the folders yesterday and I was really pleased with the level of the ensemble. Today we will be really digging into the repertoire.  Here are some notes on the works we will be preparing for the first concert on Wednesday, July 29, 2015.

Keystone, Silva

This is a new work, published by Kjos in 2014, that I discovered at a new music reading session that JS Pepper sponsored for the NC Chapter of ASTA last November.   Alan silva has a really impressive resume that includes feature films, television shows, Disney, and even the rock band, KISS.   This piece is in A minor and has a really cool 3-3-2 rhythmic structure. It features driving rhythms and beautiful elongated soaring melodies.  This is an interesting and exciting work and will be perfect for this orchestra.  the minute I heard it in November, I knew it would be on my repertoire list for this summer.

Aspire, Phillips

Sub-titled "A Dream Fulfilled," this  work was  commissioned by the Elizabeth Ruthruff Wilson Foundation and dedicated to Theresa Powers, the students of the Tecumseh School Orchestras, and their directors Amy Marr and Michael Bough.  It is published by Highland Etling and Alfred Music. I discovered this piece while working with the Providence HS (Charlotte NC) Orchestras and their director, Sara Russell last fall.  This is a lush and beautiful piece that features a constantly shifting time signature with a common quarter value pulse. The piece starts in D major and shifts to E major at the end.  This piece offers numerous opportunities for each section of the string orchestra to shine and features 3rd and 4th positions for the violas and celli.  Basses get a lovely counter melody in the middle and violins soar into upper positions throughout.  This piece is listed as a grade 3, but there are ample opportunities for musicians of all levels to stretch their expressive muscles.

Concert Piece No 2, Mendelssohn, Opus 114

This work is scored for clarinet, bassoon, and string orchestra accompaniment and will feature my Interlochen colleagues Doug Spaniol (bassoon) and Sandy Jackson (clarinet) with ICO.  I  heard them perform this with piano accompaniment last summer and we began discussing the possibility of doing it with string orchestra this summer.  I am particularly excited to do this,  because Sandy's daughter, Sophia, is a cellist in the orchestra this summer.  (Incidentally, with my son, Sandy's daughter, and Maria Silver, daughter of Interlochen Clarinet Faculty Member, Dan Silver in the orchestra, we really have a neat community of Interlochen folks in the ensemble!!)  We will more than likely, only perform Mvt 3, a light Allegretto Grazioso in F major.

Folk Tune and Fiddle Dance, Fletcher

Finally, one of my favorites is Percy Fletcher's well-known string orchestra work, Folk tune and Fiddle Dance. The Folk Tune begins in E minor 6/8 time with a lovely tune that longs for the sea. The movement shifts between time signatures, key signatures, and feels, only to return to the opening tune in a wistful manner at the end.  The Fiddle Dance in G major is a good old fashioned hoe down that drives throughout.  In ABA form, this movement that features the violas and celli prominently is perfect concert-ender.  I first discovered this piece in the mid 1980's shortly after graduating from college and have used it consistently ever since that time.  

So, that is what we are looking at.   Perhaps one of these will be appropriate for your next program. 

All my best!

Peace.

Scott

ICO 2014, Concert 4

This will be my final repertoire entry of the summer 2014 season.  It has been a great summer filled with wonderful music and friendships.  I have loved every minute of my work with the Intermediate Concert Orchestra this summer.  I believe there has been a great deal of musical growth and some really nice ensemble music-making.

Dance Parhelia, William Hofeldt

For this concert, the centerpiece of the repertoire will be William Hofeldt’s Dance Parhelia (published by Kjos).  This is a work that I first conducted back in the mid 1990’s.  It is 12:00 minutes long and is really a large work to take on with this group.  Truth be told, I have had it in the ensemble’s folders the last 4 summers and never had the guts to go for it.  This feels like the year to take that leap. It is listed as a Grade V and that is probably accurate.   That said, I would call is a tricky Grave V and it has taken me several performances to really develop a plan for the rehearsal process on this work.  I am convinced that slow preparation and careful explanation and drill on the rhythms is absolutely the key to success on this one.  The piece is in an A-B-A form, beginning with an Allegro section in 2 sharps (not always D Major), moving to a beautiful, lyrical Andante section in E flat major, and then returning to the Allegro and D Major.  The piece employs numerous time signature changes and syncopated rhythms.  There are frequent moves from 4/4 to 3/8 and 5/8 time that create interesting rhythmic tension and movement in the work.  This piece requires a firm understanding of time changes and counting of rests in order to successfully pull off a performance.  The musicians must also be clearly engaged in the tonality and changes of tonality within the work.  The Andante is lush and beautiful and, for those of you that know Hofeldt’s The Gift or Lullaby, you will hear ideas that seem very familiar.  In all, this will take up a large percentage of our time and focus.  In some ways, I consider this to be the equivalent of 2 or even 3 pieces on our normal concert preparation.

Mozart Symphony No 1 Mvt 1, Arr. LaJoie

We will open our concert with Symphony No 1, Mvt. 1(K. 16), by Mozart, and Arranged by Tom LaJoi.  This is published by Higland Etling and is listed as a Grade III.  This magnificent adaptation of Mozart’s work is in sonata-allegro form and provides numerous teaching opportunities.  These young string players must master light spiccato bowing and incorporate it into many passages of the work.   The work is in D major and the tempo can really get going once the parts are mastered at a slower tempo.  There are ample opportunities to teach other techniques and concepts from the “Classical” era of music and students love spending time on this work.   

Waltz No. 2 (from Suite for Variety Stage Orchestra), Dmitri Shostakovich, Arr. Lavender

We will finish our program with Waltz No. 2 (from Suite for Variety Stage Orchestra) by Dmitri Shostakovich, Arranged by Paul Lavender.  It is published by G. Schirmer and I would also call this a Grade III piece.   It features Piano and 2 percussionists in addition to the string orchestra.  This beautiful waltz lays down nicely for all string players.  It is a blast to play and sounds terrific.  This work will be the perfect finale for our concert on Saturday August 2 at 4:00 PM in Kresge Auditorium on the Interlochen campus.

If I can ever shed any further light on any of these works, please don’t hesitate to drop me a note.

Peace.

Scott