American Concerto

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The American Concerto is a trumpet concerto written by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work was commissioned by the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, the San Diego Symphony, the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the trumpeter Doc Severinsen, to whom it is dedicated. The piece was completed in New York on June 12, 1994, and was given its world premiere by Doc Severinsen and the San Diego Symphony under the direction of JoAnn Falletta in Escondido, California, on September 24, 1994. [1]

Contents

Composition

The American Concerto cast in a single movement and has a performance duration of approximately 15 minutes. Zwilich titled the concerto thus, in part, "to pay tribute to the distinctive and virile style of American brass playing exemplified by Doc Severinsen." In the score program note, the composer elaborated, "Unlike his or her European counterparts, the American brass player typically has had a broad background encompassing orchestral, band and jazz idioms. This lends a special vitality and versatility to the playing and offers remarkable inspiration to a composer. My American Concerto celebrates this marriage of the visceral and exciting to the majestic and uplifting." [1]

Instrumentation

The music is scored for a solo trumpet and a large orchestra consisting of piccolo, flute, oboe, English horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon, four horns, two trumpets, two trombones, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, two percussionists, and strings. [1]

Reception

The American Concerto has been generally praised by music critics. Reviewing the first performance by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Herman Trotter of The Buffalo News wrote, "The music seldom stands still. Predominantly nervous and energetic, it dances around, always moving from one type of expression to another with very natural transitions. But despite this mercurial character of the lyric line, there is a strong feeling of organic unity holding all the elements together." [2] Reviewing the first performance by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, David Nicholson of the Daily Press similarly observed, "Instead of long melodic lines and sweeping orchestration, the concerto featured brilliant blasts from the trumpet over powerful, agitated undercurrents created by the orchestra." He continued, "The work possessed a tremendous amount of drama, with high-pitched sounds from the trumpet and pounding rhythms from the percussion section. Zwilich's use of different tempos created a relentless feeling that drove the work forward." [3]

Anne Midgette of The New York Times was slightly more critical, however, remarking, "The trumpet concerto was an able piece that moved through its entire course sounding at every moment as if something were just about to happen, with a sense of building climaxes or impending adagios. But it never quite delivered on its promise, seeming finally to be a collection of gestures rather than a fully satisfying continuum." [4]

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Symphony No. 4 is a symphony for chorus, children's choir, and orchestra by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work was composed in 1999 on a commission from the Michigan State University in honor of John D. Withrow and Dortha J. Withrow, to whom the work is dedicated. It was first performed by the Michigan State University Orchestra, Choral Ensembles, and Children's Chorus conducted by Leon Gregorian on February 5, 2000.

The Concerto for Violin and Orchestra is violin concerto by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work was commissioned by Carnegie Hall for the violinist Pamela Frank. It was completed on May 25, 1997, and was first performed by Pamela Frank and the Orchestra of St. Luke's conducted by Hugh Wolff in Carnegie Hall on March 26, 1998.

The Symphony No. 5 "Concerto for Orchestra" is a composition for orchestra by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work was commissioned by the Juilliard School in honor of Bruce Kovner and Suzie Kovner with support of the Trust of Francis Goelet. It was first performed by the Juilliard Orchestra conducted by James Conlon at Carnegie Hall on October 27, 2008.

The Concerto for Cello and Orchestra is a composition for solo cello and orchestra by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work was written on a commission from the South Florida Symphony Orchestra. Zwilich composed the piece over a six-month period, completing the work in early 2020. It was given its world premiere by the cellist Zuill Bailey the South Florida Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sebrina María Alfonso on March 5, 2020, at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The concerto is dedicated to Zuill Bailey and Sebrina María Alfonso and written in memory of the cellists Leonard Rose and Mstislav Rostropovich.

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The Clarinet Concerto is a composition for solo clarinet and orchestra by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. It was commissioned by the Arlene and Dr. Milton D. Berkman Philanthropic Fund for the clarinetist David Shifrin, to whom the piece is dedicated. The concerto was first performed by Shifrin and twelve members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in Alice Tully Hall on September 12, 2003.

The Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra is a bassoon concerto written by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work was commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for their principal bassoonist Nancy Goeres. It was given its world premiere by Goeres and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Lorin Maazel in Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts, Pittsburgh, on May 13, 1993. The piece is dedicated to Maazel, Goeres, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Symbolon is a composition for orchestra written by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The music was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic for their 1988 tour of the Soviet Union. It was completed on January 8, 1988, and was first performed by the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Zubin Mehta in Leningrad on June 1, 1988, making it likely the first piece of American orchestral music to be performed in the Soviet Union. Symbolon is dedicated to Zubin Mehta.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Zwilich, Ellen Taaffe (1994). "American Concerto". Theodore Presser Company . Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  2. ↑ Trotter, Herman (October 23, 1994). "Severinsen, Orchestra Mesh Brilliantly on Challenging Concertto". The Buffalo News . Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  3. ↑ Nicholson, David (January 14, 1995). "Doc Severinsen Brings Fighting Spirit to Show". Daily Press . Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  4. ↑ Midgette, Anne (April 8, 2006). "New York Philharmonic Highlights Soloists at Avery Fisher Hall". The New York Times . Retrieved August 4, 2020.
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