SKU: A0.1102019

Bridge over Troubled Water is a song by the American folk duo Simon & Garfunkel, released in January 1970 as the second single from their fifth studio album, Bridge over Troubled Water (1970). It was composed by Paul Simon and produced by Simon & Garfunkel and Roy Halee. Bridge over Troubled Water features lead vocals by Art Garfunkel and a piano accompaniment influenced by gospel music, with a Wall of Sound-style production. It was the last song recorded for the album, but the first completed.[5] The instrumentation, provided by the Wrecking Crew, was recorded in California, while Simon and Garfunkel's vocals were recorded in New York. Simon felt Garfunkel should sing solo, an invitation Garfunkel initially declined.Session musician Larry Knechtel performs piano, with Joe Osborn playing bass guitar and Hal Blaine on drums. The song won five awards at the 13th Annual Grammy Awards in 1971, including Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It is Simon & Garfunkel's most successful single, and it is often considered their signature song; it topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for six weeks, and also reached number one in the United Kingdom, Canada, France and New Zealand. It reached the top five in eight other countries, eventually selling over six million copies worldwide. It became one of the most performed songs of the 20th century, covered by over 50 artists, including Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin and Johnny Cash. It is ranked number 66 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

SKU: A0.1081805

The song was released on Elton John's Rocket Records. After hearing a version of Laughter in the Rain by singer Lea Roberts on the radio several weeks before the planned release of his single, Sedaka phoned Elton John to have MCA Records rush the Sedaka version to release within five days. The opening chord of the chorus was based on that used by John in Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, which Sedaka has described as a drop-dead chord. He combined that with a pentatonic melody inspired by Aaron Copland. Cody claims to have written the lyrics in about five minutes after smoking marijuana and falling asleep under a tree for a couple of hours.

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: A0.869295

Instrumentation: 3222-4231-timp-2perc-hp-chorus-strings

Program note:

It has been a wonderful two years of thinking, learning and working on my Continental Harmony Project with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra. It is a rare occasion that a composer in the 21st century would receive a commission to write a musical work of such scale: a 40-minute piece for symphony orchestra, 200-plus chorus and a ballet company.  

At the Bangor Public Library I found some wonderful evocative 19th century texts for the chorus about the city of Bangor and its environs: the Penobscot River, Mt. Ktaadn, the logging industry, the native American culture, etc.   At times I felt overwhelmed, but most of the times I was exuberant and quite inspired by the music that came forth in the process.   The premiere is less than a month away, and I am looking forward to it.

Susan Jonason, Executive Director of the Bangor Symphony, has made the occasion a very public one: a free concert on a Saturday evening! I hope the audience will go home humming the tunes from the work as they walk into the crisp, cool Bangor night.

Formally the work is in five movements. The first, third and fifth movements are choral, and the two in between are orchestral.   In the premiere, the Robinson Ballet will dance in the orchestral movements.  

The first movement is about the Penobscot River from winter to spring. The melting of the ice is a harbinger of things to come: warmer weather, for instance; but it has also contributed to a lot of flooding in the city of Bangor and its surroundings.

The second movement is a waltz, a grand 19th century ballroom waltz for the ladies of the rich lumber barons. They come to the ball showing off their latest hats and gowns from London, Paris and Milan.

The third movement is about the woods and the people who work in them. Thoreau’s text about Mt. Ktaadn is full of awesome thoughts about how nature is beautiful, yet unkind to man.   It is followed by a J.G. Whittier lyric entitled The Logger’s Boast. The original song had twenty stanzas to it. I whittled it down to five. I don’t know what the original song sounded like, so I made up my own version of a lumberjack’s drinking song.

The fourth movement is a wild, drunken polka. After a long week of working in the woods the lumbermen come back to the city and spend all their earnings on booze, women and gambling. And they dance the night away …

The last movement begins with a funeral march for Joe Attien, a native American who was Thoreau’s guide when he came up here in the 1900’s. The work ends with a rousing march, a centennial hymn to the city of Bangor.   God bless our city Bangor, now! On this its birthday morn …

NB: The two ballet movements, II. La Valse and IV. Drunken Polka, are optional.

SKU: A0.926712

Scenes from the Sea is a suite in five movements for full orchestra, each of which lasts approximately three minutes, except for the last movement which lasts five minutes. Movement One, entitled Schools of Fish, is a brisk opener that symbolizes the sea as a whole, teeming with life. Movement Two is called Shipwrecks. The music is contemplative and represents the multitude of ships that rest at the bottom of the sea, many of which are the graves of brave sailors. Movement Three is a march called Fighting Crabs, and is about two crabs who fight to the death for food. In Movement Four, The Abyss, the listener descends to the depths, whereupon he/she finds a peaceful rest. The last movement, A Squall, begins calmly, but a foreboding storm in the distance threatens to takes away the calm. The Navy Hymn, Eternal Father, Strong to Save, is heard just before the storm strikes. Finally, the calmness returns and the piece ends triumphantly. Scores and parts are included for full orchestra, including piano. Full program notes are available from the composer.

SKU: A0.1120068

This is an arrangement or full orchestra. Instrumentation: Flute 1 (Double Piccolo) Flute 2 Oboe 1 Oboe 2 Double English Horn Clarinet in Bb 1 Clarinet in Bb 2 Double Bass Clarinet Bassoon 1 Bassoon 2 Double Contra Bassoon French Horn 1, 2, 3, 4 Trumpet 1, 2, 3 Trombone 1, 2, 3 Tuba Piano Percussion 1: Timpani Percussion 2: Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Vibraphone Percussion 3: Suspended Cymbal, Crash Cymbal Percussion 4: Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Castanets Harp Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, Bass This arrangement is one of the five songs from the Kind of Blue Orchestral suite. The piece utilizes some of the improvised material from the iconic Kind of Blue Album and treats it orchestrally. The piece uses a classical size orchestra, there are no improvisation sections, or rhythm section. Thereby creating a fully formed classical composition. Miles Davis's music, once improvised, is now a formal composition that can be performed in orchestral concert halls by any orchestra, anywhere in the world.