Oboe Concerto (Zwilich)

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The Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra is a composition for oboe solo and orchestra by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work was commissioned by the Cleveland Orchestra in honor of their principal oboist John Mack's 25th year with the orchestra. It was first performed by Mack and the Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Christoph von Dohnányi on January 17, 1991. The piece is dedicated "with affection" to John Mack. [1] [2]

Contents

Composition

The concerto is cast in a single extended movement and has a performance duration of approximately 20 minutes. [1]

Instrumentation

The music is scored for solo oboe and an orchestra comprising piccolo, flute, an additional oboe, Oboe d'amore, English horn, two clarinets, bassoon, contrabassoon, four horns in F, two cornets, timpani, percussion, and strings. [1]

Reception

Reviewing the East Coast premiere at Carnegie Hall, Bernard Holland of The New York Times wrote, "Ms. Zwilich is as always an excellent craftsman. Her ideas, often in short bursts of phrase, are transformed and moved around the orchestra. There is a clean, almost chamber-music quality to the orchestration that never swallows Mr. Mack's excellent playing. Double-reeds from within the ensemble frequently answer him, giving a feeling of sympathetic vibration rather than sharp contrast." He added, "This is as strong and convincing a piece from her as I can remember." [3]

Reviewing the concerto on album with Zwilich's Symphony No. 3 and Concerto Grosso, Michael Oliver of Gramophone remarked that the concerto "agreeably exploits the instrument's capacity for lyricism and ingeniously provides it with a 'family' (a second oboe, oboe d'amore and cor anglais) with which it can have more intimate conversations than with the main orchestra, but the music does not so much develop as alternate between slow and fast ideas." [4] Annette Morreau of BBC Music Magazine was highly critical of the piece, saying, "The 1990 Oboe Concerto is played by the oboist for whom it was written, John Mark, a musician of distinction. Alas, the work has no such distinction." [5]

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The Symphony No. 2 is a composition for orchestra by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work was composed in 1985 on a commission from the San Francisco Symphony. It was first performed on November 13, 1985, by the San Francisco Symphony under the direction of Edo de Waart, to whom the piece is dedicated.

The Symphony No. 3 is a symphony for orchestra by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic to commemorate their sesquicentennial anniversary. It was first performed by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Jahja Ling on February 25, 1993. The symphony is dedicated "with love and admiration" to Kurt Masur and the New York Philharmonic.

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.

The Concerto for Piano and Orchestra is a composition for solo piano and orchestra by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work was written on a commission from Carnegie Hall, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the League of American Orchestras. It was the first composition ever commissioned by either Carnegie Hall or the League of American Orchestras. The world premiere was performed by the pianist Marc-André Hamelin and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Günther Herbig at the Meadow Brook Music Festival in Rochester Hills, Michigan, on June 26, 1986. The piece is dedicated to Günther Herbig.

The Concerto for Violin, Violoncello and Orchestra is a double concerto for violin, cello, and orchestra by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work was commissioned by the Louisville Orchestra for the violinist Jaime Laredo and the cellist Sharon Robinson and in memory of the sculpture Albert Wein. It was first performed by Laredo, Robinson, and the Louisville Orchestra under the direction of Lawrence Leighton Smith on December 5, 1991. The piece is dedicated to Lawrence Leighton Smith and the Louisville Orchestra.

The Concerto Grosso 1985 is a composition for chamber orchestra by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work was commissioned by the Washington Friends of Handel in commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the birth of George Frideric Handel. It was given its world premiere by Handel Festival Orchestra conducted by Stephen Simon on May 9, 1986.

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.

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.

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 (1990). "Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra". Theodore Presser Company . Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  2. ↑ Fruchter, Rena (February 17, 1991). "MUSIC; Oboist Coming Home With Tailor-Made Work". The New York Times . Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  3. ↑ Holland, Bernard (February 25, 1991). "Review/Music; Vaughan Williams Evokes What Never Was". The New York Times. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  4. ↑ White, Judith (August 16, 2004). "Review: Orchestra performance one to remember". The Saratogian . Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  5. ↑ Morreau, Annette (January 20, 2012). "Zwilich: Symphony No. 3; Oboe Concerto; Concerto Grosso". BBC Music Magazine . Retrieved July 25, 2020.
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