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

SKU: P5.KP-DAN-13351

8.3 x 11.7 inches.

SKU: A0.755154

Origins musically represents three important recent scientific explorations of space and matter that are designed to give humans a better understanding of the origins of the universe and the origins of life. The first movement, Black Holes and Cyclotrons, represents the quest to understand and reproduce the relationship between gravitation and energy that scientists believe caused the big bang and our ever-expanding universe. The music of this movement represents the danger inherent in these explorations into the unknown. There are sections of the movement that are lighter in nature that depict subatomic particles dancing around in a particle accelerator. The end of the movement increases in tempo reflecting the ever-increasing speeds of particle accelerators and the gravitational pull of black holes. The Surface of Mars is the title of the second movement that depicts NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Mission. The rovers Spirit and Opportunity have explored the surface of Mars and have revealed the surface as being mostly a barren landscape void of life. The outer sections of this movement reflect this discovery. The middle section of the movement represents the excitement of one of the rovers finding indications of water having existed on Mars and therefore the possibility that life may have also existed. The third movement, Window Into Deep Space, is a tribute to the Hubble Space Telescope. This movement has many uplifting sections as the Hubble Space Telescope has provided views of the universe never before seen from Earth. It also has sections of anxiety as this mission was wrought with several failures that nearly derailed it. The promise of increased understanding of our universe is reflected in the ending of this composition. The score prints on legal size paper and the parts on letter.