Sinfonietta for full orchestra - ca. 13'
|
| ||||
When I began conceptualizing this work -- during the beginning of my time at Florida State University, I remember my teacher, Ladislav Kubik, instructing me to think deeply about what kind of music I would like to compose for the orchestra. I recall him telling me, "The orchestra is a large force with a large history. You need to look at its history and all the ways people have written for the ensemble and decide where you want your music to fit in that history." Initially, it seemed like an insurmountable, daunting task even to start this very exciting project. Later that same day, I observed the University Symphony Orchestra rehearsing Bartok's Piano Concerto no. 3 and immediately knew how I wanted to respond to the great history of the orchestral ensemble.
This is the last work I began with Ladislav Kubik before his unexpected passing, which came just as I was beginning to put notes on the page. It opens with a four note motif (D#, C#, F#, B) presented in the oboe that quickly spreads throughout the woodwind section. The opening motif serves as a musical representation of Ladislav Kubik's office number -- 316B -- and is my way of honoring him with this work.
Sinfonietta juxtaposes this opening motif with biting and aggressive sounds drawn from the rock music I grew up listening to and playing. It combines the influences of Bartok's Piano Concerto no.3, Mahler, and other great composers with the in-your-face, driving sounds of rock and roll riffs I learned to play growing up. In many ways, this work seeks to respond to the rich history of orchestral repertoire by exploring the collision of sounds the classical world with the sounds of the American vernacular music that serves as a foundation for much of my own writing.
This work is dedicated to my mentor, Alexander Jiménez and in memory of my teacher, Ladislav Kubik.
This is the last work I began with Ladislav Kubik before his unexpected passing, which came just as I was beginning to put notes on the page. It opens with a four note motif (D#, C#, F#, B) presented in the oboe that quickly spreads throughout the woodwind section. The opening motif serves as a musical representation of Ladislav Kubik's office number -- 316B -- and is my way of honoring him with this work.
Sinfonietta juxtaposes this opening motif with biting and aggressive sounds drawn from the rock music I grew up listening to and playing. It combines the influences of Bartok's Piano Concerto no.3, Mahler, and other great composers with the in-your-face, driving sounds of rock and roll riffs I learned to play growing up. In many ways, this work seeks to respond to the rich history of orchestral repertoire by exploring the collision of sounds the classical world with the sounds of the American vernacular music that serves as a foundation for much of my own writing.
This work is dedicated to my mentor, Alexander Jiménez and in memory of my teacher, Ladislav Kubik.