High on a Mountain (2017)
For solo clarinet and symphonic band: piccolo/2 flutes/oboe/2 clarinets in Bb/bass clarinet in Bb/2 alto sax in Eb/tenor sax in Bb/baritone sax in Eb/2 trumpets in Bb/2 horns in F/baritone in Bb/3 trombones/bass trombone/tuba/string bass/timpani/percussion/glockenspiel/xylophone/vibraphone/marimba 4 mins.
Premiere May 2018 by the South Point High School Symphonic Band, Sarah Ann Neil, clarinet, Timothy Hamilton, Director, Belmont, NC
Commissioned by the South Point High School Symphonic Band in Belmont, North Carolina
Professional orchestra parts rental $400 (negotiable)
Discounted parts rental price for university, conservatory, and training orchestra performance $300
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Please contact TheComposerStudio for further support: thecomposerstudio@gmail.com
Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra (1998)
Solo Violin/flute/oboe/clarinet in Bb/bassoon/2 horns in F/trumpet in C/timpani/percussion/harp/violin I (10)/violin II (8)/viola (6)/violoncello (4)/contrabass (2) 21 mins.
Premiered in Chicago, April 1999, Sharone Polifrone, violin, and Concertante di Chicago, Hillel Kagan, conducting.
Commissioned by the Katherine A. Abelson Fund of the Lester Abelson Foundation
In ancient Greece a “rhapsod” was a singer of epic poems and bits and pieces of tales strung together making a collage of entertainment. I have, in a like manner, allowed a simple line of melody, first introduced by the violin, to speak a musical tale. The violin, full of the exuberance and energy of youth, threads through the story’s themes and shadow themes, weaving a mosaic of sound through each episode. Shadow themes are melodies that are acoustically derived from one another like shadows. At first these themes perform supportive roles, but as the story moves forward, they gain in the dominance of pitch and dynamic. Sometimes running ahead of passage, making aggressive commentary, and sometimes aligning with the emotional expression of the phrase, the violin shifts between a mere exercise of notes to a noble exploration of broadening lyricism. William Neil.
Professional orchestra parts rental $400 (negotiable)
Discounted parts rental price for university, conservatory, and training orchestra performance $300
Add to cart then click on "Checkout" on the homepage to pay.
Please contact TheComposerStudio for further support: thecomposerstudio@gmail.com
Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra, commissioned by Chicago’s Katherine Abelson, proved a bright, attractive work with an open sound and a long noble romantic line. Joseph Conniff LEADER FINE ARTS CRITIC
The rhapsody, a ravishing collage of sinuous melodies, extends Neil’s use of “shadow themes”; each theme spawns several close variations, which crowd around like musical doppelgangers. Ted Shenn, CHICAGO READER