Cello Concerto (Bates)

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The Cello Concerto of Mason Bates is an American concerto for cello and orchestra, dating from 2014. The work was a joint commission by the Seattle Symphony, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. It received its premiere on December 11, 2014 by the cellist Joshua Roman, former principal cellist of the Seattle Symphony and for whom Bates composed the concerto, and the Seattle Symphony, conducted by Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla. [1] [2]

Mason W. Bates is a Grammy award-winning American composer of symphonic music and DJ of electronic dance music. Distinguished by his innovations in orchestration and large-scale form, Bates is best known for his expansion of the orchestra to include electronics. The second-most performed living composer in the United States, he has worked closely with the San Francisco Symphony, as well as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra where he worked as composer-in-residence. In 2015 he was named composer-in-residence of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and recently had his contract renewed for another two years though 2019-20.

Concerto musical composition usually in three parts

A concerto is a musical composition generally composed of three movements, in which, usually, one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra or concert band. It is accepted that its characteristics and definition have changed over time. In the 17th century, sacred works for voices and orchestra were typically called concertos, as reflected by J. S. Bach's usage of the title "concerto" for many of the works that we know as cantatas.

Cello musical instrument

The cello ( CHEL-oh; plural cellos or celli) or violoncello ( VY-ə-lən-CHEL-oh; Italian pronunciation: [vjolonˈtʃɛllo]) is a string instrument. It is played by bowing or plucking its four strings, which are usually tuned in perfect fifths an octave lower than the viola: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 and A3. It is the bass member of the violin family, which also includes the violin, viola and the double bass, which doubles the bass line an octave lower than the cello in much of the orchestral repertoire. After the double bass, it is the second-largest and second lowest (in pitch) bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra. The cello is used as a solo instrument, as well as in chamber music ensembles (e.g., string quartet), string orchestras, as a member of the string section of symphony orchestras, most modern Chinese orchestras, and some types of rock bands.

Contents

Composition

Structure

The Cello Concerto has a duration of roughly 25 minutes and is composed in three movements: [2]

A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession. A movement is a section, "a major structural unit perceived as the result of the coincidence of relatively large numbers of structural phenomena".

A unit of a larger work that may stand by itself as a complete composition. Such divisions are usually self-contained. Most often the sequence of movements is arranged fast-slow-fast or in some other order that provides contrast.

  1. Con moto–Grazioso–Con moto
  2. Serene
  3. Léger

Instrumentation

The work is scored for solo cello and orchestra, where the orchestra consists of two flutes (2nd doubling piccolo and alto flute), two oboes, two clarinets (2nd doubling bass clarinet), two bassoons (2nd doubling contrabassoon), four French horns, three trumpets, two tenor trombones, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, three percussionists, harp, and strings.

Western concert flute transverse woodwind instrument made of metal or wood

The Western concert flute is a transverse (side-blown) woodwind instrument made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute. A musician who plays the flute is called a flautist, flutist, flute player, or (rarely) fluter.

Piccolo small musical instrument of the flute family

The piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The modern piccolo has most of the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written. This gave rise to the name ottavino, which the instrument is called in the scores of Italian composers. It is also called flauto piccolo or flautino.

Alto flute type of flute

The alto flute is a type of Western concert flute, a musical instrument in the woodwind family. It is the next extension downward of the C flute after the flûte d'amour. It is characterized by its distinct, mellow tone in the lower portion of its range. It is a transposing instrument in G, and uses the same fingerings as the C flute.

Reception

Reviewing the world premiere, Melinda Bargreen of The Seattle Times praised the work for its "audience-friendly tonal language" and Techno-inspired orchestration. Bargreen wrote, "Attractive and tonal, featuring a first-rate soloist, this was a premiere that an audience could really appreciate, and the standing ovation was so enthusiastic that Roman finally returned for a solo encore". [3] Philippa Kiraly of the Classical Voice North America also lauded the piece, saying its "classical lyricism and melody combine fluidly with blues, jazz elements, and techno rhythms that come straight from the 21st-century electronic club scene." [2] Lynn Green of The Columbus Dispatch commended Bates for "capitaliz[ing] on the natural, organic aspects of musicianship in his cello concerto." Green added, "This challenging work is not so much about melody as expressions of color, texture and energy." [4]

<i>The Seattle Times</i> newspaper

The Seattle Times is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region.

Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan, in the United States during the mid-to-late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno in reference to a specific genre of music was in 1988. Many styles of techno now exist, but Detroit techno is seen as the foundation upon which a number of sub-genres have been built.

<i>The Columbus Dispatch</i> daily newspaper in Columbus, Ohio

The Columbus Dispatch is a daily newspaper based in Columbus, Ohio. Its first issue was published on July 1, 1871, and has been the only mainstream daily newspaper in the city since The Columbus Citizen-Journal ceased publication in 1985.

Roman has since performed the concerto to critical acclaim with such orchestras as the Berkeley Symphony, the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. [5] [6]

The Oklahoma City Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (FWSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Fort Worth, Texas. The orchestra is resident at the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall. In addition to its symphonic and pops concert series, the FWSO also collaborates with the Fort Worth Opera, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Southwestern Seminary Master Chorale. and the Children’s Education Program of Bass Performance Hall. The FWSO also presents the Concerts In The Garden summer music festival at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.

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References

  1. ↑ Tom Keogh (December 5, 2014). "Joshua Roman to bring world premiere cello piece to Benaroya". The Seattle Times . Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Kiraly, Philippa (December 15, 2014). "Seattle Symphony Premieres Bates Cello Concerto". Classical Voice North America. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  3. ↑ Bargreen, Melinda (December 12, 2014). "Joshua Roman introduces a world-class world premiere". The Seattle Times . Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  4. ↑ Green, Lynn (February 1, 2015). "Review: Columbus Symphony director designee's debut avoids leaning on standards". The Columbus Dispatch . Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  5. ↑ Rick Rogers (November 23, 2015). "Review: Invigorating Oklahoma City Philharmonic concert featured intriguing star". The Oklahoman. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  6. ↑ Scott Cantrell (January 9, 2016). "Bates to Beethoven, an exhilarating Fort Worth Symphony concert". The Dallas Morning News . Retrieved May 14, 2016.
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