My latest composition, Reflections and Lore is now complete. The first draft of the score was delivered to conductor Alan Yamamoto today. After the premiere I will tweak details such as bowing, dynamics, and piano pedaling and post the score to my scores page. Check back often.
As mentioned in previous posts, the premiere will take place at a special concert on January 25, 2015 commemorating the fifth anniversary of the installation of the Firebird statue which stands at the entrance to the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte, NC USA. A second performance will take place at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC USA on February 1, 2015 as part of the Alternative Impulse series.
The music in Reflections and Lore alternates between reactions to the Firebird sculpture itself and semi-programmatic episodes based on the folklore surrounding the firebird. This is intend as an invitation for the listener to explore the folklore. Hints are dropped in the score and the program notes as to the folklore referenced including: golden apples, one feather, the gray wolf, the firebird’s golden cage, the horse with the golden bridle, princess Helen, the return of the gray wolf, and the return home.
I am looking forward to once again working with the excellent musicians that make up the Bechtler Ensemble and the Out of Bounds Ensemble. This marks our second joint concert led by conductor Alan Yamamoto. The concert at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art is also the second concert of the newly formed Charlotte Composers Forum and I am proud to be a part of this exciting new undertaking.