Elegy (Corigliano)

Last updated

Elegy is an orchestral composition by the American composer John Corigliano. It was first performed by the San Francisco Symphony under the direction Verne Sellin at the War Memorial Opera House on June 1, 1966. The piece is dedicated to the composer Samuel Barber. [1] [2]

Contents

Composition

Elegy is composed in a single movement and has a duration of roughly 7 minutes. The work is based on an incidental score Corigliano wrote for an Off-Broadway production of Wallace Frey's play Helen; the music is specifically derived from a love scene between the titular character Helen of Troy and her young lover Telemachus. The composer wrote in the score program notes, "The brief work, set at a single slow tempo, begins quickly with a key passage for paired flutes, builds during its course to two double forte climaxes for full orchestra, and finally subsides for a pianissimo close for strings and woodwinds. Stylistically, as the dedication to Samuel Barber might suggest, the work identifies itself with neo-romantic American style, typified in a diversity of works by Barber himself, Walter Piston, or William Schuman." [1]

Instrumentation

The work is scored for an orchestra consisting of two flutes (1st doubling piccolo), two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, trumpet, bass trombone, timpani, percussion, piano, and strings. [1]

Reception

Steve Metcalf of the Hartford Courant described the piece as "haunting." [3] Peter Dickinson of Gramophone wrote, "Elegy provides early evidence that the mantle of Samuel Barber, to whom it is dedicated, would fall on Corigliano." He added, "Both composers contradicted fashions by querying any necessity for their music to be difficult." [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

Capricorn Concerto, Op. 21, is a composition for flute, oboe, trumpet, and strings by Samuel Barber, completed on September 8, 1944. A typical performance lasts approximately 14 minutes.

John Corigliano's Symphony No. 1 for Orchestra was written between 1988 and 1989 during the composer's tenure as the first Composer-In-Residence for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The symphony's first performance was by the Chicago Symphony conducted by Daniel Barenboim on March 15, 1990.

Symphony No. 2 is a symphony in three connected movements for orchestra by the American composer Christopher Rouse. The piece was commissioned by the Houston Symphony and completed July 15, 1994. The work premiered later that year and is dedicated to then Houston Symphony director Christoph Eschenbach.

The Flute Concerto is a concerto for flute and orchestra by American composer Christopher Rouse. The work was jointly commissioned by Richard and Jody Nordlof for flautist Carol Wincenc and by Borders Group for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. It was completed August 15, 1993 and premiered on October 27, 1994 at Orchestra Hall in Detroit, with conductor Hans Vonk leading Carol Wincenc and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The piece's third movement is dedicated to the memory of James Bulger, an English toddler who was murdered in 1993 by two ten-year-old boys.

Garages of the Valley is a single-movement orchestral composition by the American composer Mason Bates. The work was jointly commissioned by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. The world premiere was performed on March 6, 2014 in Stillwater, Minnesota by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra under conductor Scott Yoo. The European premiere was performed on June 30, 2015 in Ingolstadt, Germany during the opening concert of the 2015 Audi Sommerkonzerte Festival by the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra under conductor Donato Cabrera. The piece is dedicated to Dutch conductor Edo de Waart.

The Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra is a clarinet concerto in three movements by the American composer John Corigliano. The work was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic for the clarinetist Stanley Drucker. It was composed in the summer and fall of 1977 and was first performed in New York City on December 6, 1977, by Drucker and the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein. The composition is dedicated to Drucker and Bernstein.

The Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra is a composition for solo oboe and orchestra by the American composer John Corigliano. The work was commissioned by the New York State Council on the Arts and was first performed in Carnegie Hall on November 9, 1975, by the oboist Bert Lucarelli and the American Symphony Orchestra under the conductor Kazuyoshi Akiyama.

blue cathedral is an orchestral composition by the American composer Jennifer Higdon. The work was commissioned by the Curtis Institute of Music in 1999 to commemorate the conservatory's 75th anniversary. It was first performed in 2000 by the Curtis Institute of Music Symphony Orchestra. The piece is dedicated to the memory of Higdon's brother and is one of the composer's most performed works.

The Boston Concerto is a concerto for orchestra by the American composer Elliott Carter. The work was commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, for which the piece is titled. It was first performed in Symphony Hall, Boston, on April 3, 2003 by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the conductor Ingo Metzmacher. Carter dedicated the concerto to his wife Helen Jones Carter, who died on May 17, 2003.

One Sweet Morning is a four-movement song cycle for mezzo-soprano solo and orchestra by the American composer John Corigliano. The work was jointly commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. It was given its world premiere on September 30, 2011, by the mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe and the New York Philharmonic under the conductor Alan Gilbert. The piece is dedicated to the memory of Natalie and Serge Koussevitzky.

The Oboe Concerto is a composition for solo oboe and orchestra by the American composer John Harbison. The work was commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony for its principal oboist William Bennett. It was completed on October 18, 1991, and was given its world premiere by Bennett and the San Francisco Symphony under the conductor Herbert Blomstedt in 1992.

The Pied Piper Fantasy is a concerto for flute and orchestra by the American composer John Corigliano. The work was commissioned by the flutist James Galway and it is based on the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. The piece was given its world premiere by Galway and the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the conductor Myung-whun Chung at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on February 4, 1982. In 1993, the critic Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times described it as "one of the best known of modern American concertos."

The Flute Concerto in D major, Op. 283, is a composition for solo flute and orchestra by the composer Carl Reinecke. The work was composed in 1908 and was Reinecke's last concerto before his death. It was first performed on March 15, 1909 in Leipzig by the flutist Maximilian Schwedler, to whom the piece is dedicated.

The Concerto for Piano and Orchestra is a piano concerto by the American composer John Corigliano. The work was commissioned by the San Antonio Symphony and was first performed on April 7, 1968, by the pianist Hilde Somer and the San Antonio Symphony under the direction of Victor Alessandro. The piece is dedicated to John Atkins.

The Mannheim Rocket is a short orchestral composition by the American composer John Corigliano. The work was commissioned by the Mannheim Orchestra, which first performed the work on March 26, 2001. The piece is dedicated to Susan Carlyle.

Vocalise is a composition for soprano, electronics, and orchestra by the American composer John Corigliano. The work was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Kurt Masur with financial contributions from the Francis Goelet Fund. It was given its world premiere by the soprano Sylvia McNair and the New York Philharmonic under Masur at Avery Fisher Hall on November 11, 1999. The piece is dedicated to Sylvia McNair.

Campane di Ravello (A Celebration Piece for Sir Georg Solti) is a short orchestral composition by the American composer John Corigliano. The work was commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for the 75th birthday of its then music director Georg Solti. Its world premiere was given by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Kenneth Jean on October 9, 1987.

The Violin Concerto is a composition for solo violin and chamber orchestra by the American composer Ned Rorem. The work was commissioned by the Springfield Symphony Orchestra for the violinist Jaime Laredo and composed in 1984. It was first performed by Laredo and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra conducted by Robert Gutter in the Symphony Hall, Springfield, on March 30, 1985.

The Flute Concerto is a composition for solo flute and orchestra by the American composer Ned Rorem. The work was commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra and was composed between August 2001 and May 2002. Its world premiere was given by the flutist Jeffrey Khaner and the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Roberto Abbado at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on December 4, 2003.

The Concerto for Piano and Orchestra is a musical composition by the American composer Aaron Copland. The work was commissioned by the conductor Serge Koussevitzky who was then music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. It was first performed on January 28, 1927, by the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Koussevitzky with the composer himself as the soloist. The piece is dedicated to Copland's patron Alma Morgenthau Wertheim.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Corigliano, John (1965). Elegy: Program Note. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  2. ↑ Corigliano, John (1965). "Elegy". G. Schirmer Inc. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  3. ↑ Metcalf, Steve (November 28, 1996). "Album Review -- I Fiamminghi, The Orchestra Of Flanders Conducted By Rudolf Werthen -- John Corigliano: To Music". Hartford Courant . Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  4. ↑ Dickinson, Peter (March 1997). "Corigliano Creations". Gramophone . Retrieved May 31, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.