Hemke Concerto

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The Hemke Concerto "Prisms of Light" is a concerto for solo alto saxophone and orchestra by the American composer Augusta Read Thomas. The work was commissioned as a retirement gift for the saxophonist and educator Frederick Hemke by many of his students and colleagues. It was given its world premiere by Hemke and the New Haven Symphony Orchestra under the conductor William Boughton in New Haven, Connecticut, on February 27, 2014. [1] [2] [3]

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. 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.

Alto saxophone Type of saxophone

The alto saxophone, also referred to as the alto sax, is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s, and patented in 1846. It is pitched in E♭, and is smaller than the tenor, but larger than the soprano. The alto sax is the most common saxophone and is commonly used in concert bands, chamber music, solo repertoire, military bands, marching bands, and jazz. The fingerings of the different saxophones are all the same so a saxophone player can play any type of saxophone.

Orchestra large instrumental ensemble

An orchestra is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families, including bowed string instruments such as the violin, viola, cello, and double bass, brass instruments such as the horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba, woodwinds such as the flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon, and percussion instruments such as the timpani, bass drum, triangle, snare drum, cymbals, and mallet percussion instruments each grouped in sections. Other instruments such as the piano and celesta may sometimes appear in a fifth keyboard section or may stand alone, as may the concert harp and, for performances of some modern compositions, electronic instruments.

Contents

Structure

The Hemke Concerto has a duration of roughly 22 minutes and is composed in four connected movements:

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. Illuminations
  2. Sunrise Ballad
  3. Chasing Radiance
  4. Solar Rings

Instrumentation

The work is scored for solo alto saxophone and an orchestra comprising piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, bassoon, two horns, two trumpets, trombone, bass trombone, tuba, four percussionists, piano, harp, celesta, and strings. [1]

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.

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.

Oboe musical instrument of the woodwind family

Oboes belong to the classification of double reed woodwind instruments. Oboes are usually made of wood, but there are also oboes made of synthetic materials. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A soprano oboe measures roughly 65 cm long, with metal keys, a conical bore and a flared bell. Sound is produced by blowing into the reed at a sufficient air pressure, causing it to vibrate with the air column. The distinctive tone is versatile and has been described as "bright". When the word oboe is used alone, it is generally taken to mean the treble instrument rather than other instruments of the family, such as the bass oboe, the cor anglais, or oboe d'amore

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References

  1. 1 2 Carter, Elliott (2013). "Hemke Concerto 'Prisms of Light'". G. Schirmer Inc. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  2. ↑ Doherty, Donna (February 22, 2014). "New Haven Symphony Orchestra fetes noted composer and sax professor". New Haven Register . Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  3. ↑ Arnott, Christopher (February 27, 2014). "A Light Breeze: Premiere Of A New Sax Symphony At NHSO". Hartford Courant . Retrieved March 18, 2016.
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