SKU: A0.712950

Concerto for Clarinet, Chair, and Orchestra. All Three Movements. Composed by Doug Clyde of ALBEDO MUSIC from Thanksgiving 2018 to Christmas 2018. Full Score & Parts. In Three Movements. Contents: Movement I. Allegro, Movement II. Andante, Movement III. Moderato. Instrumentation: Flute, Oboe, Solo Clarinet in Bb and Chair (metal chair, wooden chair, or plastic chair), Bassoon, Horn in F, Trumpet in Bb, Tenor Trombone, Tuba, Drum Set (Hi-Hat, Tom-Toms, Crash Cymbal, Bass Drum, Snare Drum), Percussion (Castanets, Shaker or Maracas, Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Crash Cymbal), Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello, Contrabass. Performance Duration 15:50. Movement I. 5:05, Movement II. 4:30, Movement III. 6:15. AMSM110111112. © 2018 by Doug Clyde of ALBEDO MUSIC.

SKU: A0.886728

Work written in 2018 a thesis for composer's postgraduate studies in Musical Department of Ionian University (Composition for Vocal and Instrumental Ensembles).
It is based on the, under the same title ('Premonition'), poem by the 19th century British-Canadian poet Robert William Service (1874 - 1958). Point of departure is the eternal conflict between light and darkness, hope and despair, vision and nightmare, spiritual formation and inner confusion, being together and being apart, past and future, life and death. Leading by love (eros), a series of sudden thoughts and premonitions and the composer's inner visions on Service's text is a vehicle, a canvas for this composition. It follows a multilanguage style between serial-atonal and tonal idiom. It consists of an introduction which is repeated variated at the end as an epilogue and nine variations, each of a different character - independent but following one another without a pause:
1. Introduction, Sudden Thoughts (Severo)
2. Var.I. Towards the Light (Lento ambiamente)
3. Var.II.Nightmare - Shadows' Chase (Allegro deciso)
4. Var.III. Hope (Lento mystico)
5. Var.IV. Moonlight Wandering (Valse noire) (Poco piu mosso)
6. Var.V.Vision i, An Imaginary Procession (L' istesso tempo)
7.Var.VI.Vision ii, Butterflies - An Unexpected Love Affair (Valse d'amour) (Allegro)
8.Var.VΙI. Depression and Relief (Illusion) (Grave)
9.Var.VIII. Contemplation Waltz (Passacaglia) (Con moto)
10.Var.IΧ. Confusion - A Broken Heart (Moderato)
11. Finale. Last Thought (Tempo primo)

SKU: A0.869368

Instrumentation: 3232-4331-timp-2perc-pf-hp-strings. Program note. Nineteen ninety-eight marks the tenth anniversary of my plunge into the world of ballet. I continue to take classes three or four times a week. It's fun, athletic, and challenging. And I'm still working on the basic notion of spotting in my pirouettes ... So when Max Hobart of the Civic Symphony Orchestra of Boston agreed to premiere a new work of mine I knew it had to be a symphonic ballet. Coincidentally, I discovered that my favorite cartoonist, Edward Gorey, is also a balletomane. He lived in New York City between 1953 and 1986 and never missed a single performance of the New York City Ballet. Apparently his leaving New York to live permanently on Cape Cod was prompted by the death of George Balanchine in 1983. Among Edward Gorey's many books there is one, The Gilded Bat, about a young woman, Maud Splaytoe, and her adventures in the ballet world. She dies in the end when the plane she is in flies into a great, dark bird. Hmmm, I thought, The Gilded Bat would make a nice adagio movement. To complete the work, I found four other Gorey books that attracted me in mood and texture: The Nursery Frieze - dogs running across the edge of a nursery ceiling, barking out words whose sequence provides no sense or meaning, e.g., Archipelago, cardamon, obloquy, ignavia, samisen, bandages, wax, Gavelkind, ... ; The Raging Tide - a fantastical story about four creatures, Figbash, Hooglyboo, Naeelah and Skrump, who would not stop abusing each other; The Utter Zoo - an alphabet book of zoo animals of Edward Gorey's concoction, e.g., Ampoo, Boggerslosh, Crunk, Dawbis, Epitwee, ... ; and The Blue Aspic - a macabre story of a mad fan, Jasper Ankle, who stalks an opera diva, Ortenzia Caviglia. When he finally meets her at the stage-door after a performance, he stabs her in the throat and cries, J'ai trouvé Hortense! Symphony No. 2 ... A Phantasmagorey Ballet is in five movements: I. The Nursery Frieze, Con moto. II. The Gilded Bat Adagio: Pas seul for Mirella Splatova, aka Maud SplaytoeIII. The Raging Tide Presto: Pas de Quatre for Figbash, Hooglyboo, Naeelah and Skrump. IV. The Blue Aspic Allegro: Valzer alla Prokofiev ... Pas de deux for Jasper Ankle and Ortenzia Caviglia. V. The Utter Zoo Largo: Grand Funk Finale. This work is dedicated to my wife, Kristin Beckwith, whom I met ten years ago at the Boston Ballet, and who continues to be my one and only ballet teacher.

Audio link: https://thomasoboelee.bandcamp.com/album/symphony-no-2-a-phantasmagorey-ballet-1998

SKU: A0.1026839

Work on the Symphonic Suite was started in the summer of 1946, after composer Dale Dykins returned to the College of Music of Cincinnati following more than four years of military service. In 3 movements: I. Allegro Tranquillo, Allegro Vivace - Duration: 6:30 II. Adagio (Elegy) - Duration: 4:30 III. Moderato, Allegro Vivace - Duration: 5:30. Instrumentation: 3222 4321 Timp Perc & Strings.

SKU: A0.869351

Instrumentation: 3232-4331-timp-2perc-strings.

When I received the invitation from Jonathan Cohler to write a Concerto for Orchestra for the Brockton Symphony, I immediately thought of all the composers who wrote works inspired by Bartok’s seminal work of the same title: Roger Sessions, Elliott Carter, Michael Tippett, Witold Lutoslawski, Joan Tower and, most recently, Jennifer Higdon.

My Concerto for Orchestra, opus 111, is in five movements. It will be heard without pause between movements.

I. Largo … Misterioso!
II. Allegro con moto … Evidence!!!
III. Adagio … Epistrophy!
IV. Andante … In Walked Bud!
V. Presto … Rhythm-a-ning!!!

My initial idea for the Concerto was contrast - contrast between the timbres and colors that the various sections in an orchestra provide. For example, the woodwinds would provide a sharp contrast against the brass; the percussion section against the strings, etc. I also was interested in writing a work where each movement would flow into the next without pause – thus providing another form of contrast, that of tempi and mood change. A third form of contrast would be the different styles and forms of music that I would come up with. And I had a lot of fun conjuring up the many possible scenarios and orchestral tableaux. I actually started with the second movement: the Allegro con moto. I wanted something that had a nice surging quality that the whole orchestra could jump into. When I finished that, I thought perhaps it would be too intense for the opening of the work. I thought, maybe I should begin with something slower, more brooding in nature before the explosive stuff.

I noticed that Carter’s Concerto began with a slow Introduction. It had a title: Misterioso. Being an avid fan of Thelonious Monk, aka Thelonious Sphere Monk, Misterioso brought to mind a Monk composition of the same title. That epiphany gave me the idea of naming each of the five movements after a Monk tune. Monk’s Misterioso is a blues with an insistent theme of 8th note patterns of rising 6ths; which has nothing to do with my first movement. My Misterioso features a solo for the bass clarinet in the midst of a shimmering atmosphere that is punctuated by accents in the bass. They are both mysterious, but divergently opposed in mood and substance. Monk’s Evidence is a tune with jabs and punches, irregularly placed within the measure – not unlike what I did in the second movement. This movement is perhaps the most Monk-ish of all. Monk’s Epistrophy is a tune constructed with a four-note pattern that is angular and twisted. I wrote a solemn brass choir movement that is an epistle in nature, a sermon of sorts. The title of Monk’s In Walked Bud refers, of course, to the amazing pianist Bud Powell. I took the word walk and translated it into an andante. What resulted was a silly, but jolly movement featuring the woodwinds. I wanted to end the work with a fast and furious finale. Inspired by the word rhythm in Monk’s Rhythm-a-ning, I began the last movement with a solo for the percussion section – timpani, tom-toms, bass drum!!! The orchestra eventually joins in the mayhem, breaking into a scherzo-like frenzy. It ends with a big bang!!!

Enjoy!!!

Audio link: https://thomasoboelee.bandcamp.com/album/concerto-for-orchestra-opus-111-2005