Saturday, September 4, 2010

Big Big

I've been asked to write a piece for the Sofia Philharmonic next year, 2 June 2011 that is, and  the headlining piece on the program is the Ives 4th Symphony: a big fistful of music, a gorgeous piece full of quotations, overlapping themes, sometimes requiring a second conductor, and which includes a lovely setting of "Watchman, tell us of the night."  The orchestration calls for major forces, and I wonder if I'll be able to use them all myself. Probably not, since one typically wants to save the laser show and the back surround speakers for the headlining act, but let's for a moment dream of this, my own fantasies played out over such a major ensemble of

2 piccolos 3 flutes 2 oboes 3 clarinets 3 bassoons alto, tenor, baritone sax (optional) 4 horns 6 trumpets 2 cornets 4 trombones tuba timpani snare drum bass drum tom-tom triangle cymbals 2 gongs bells glockenspiel harp celesta orchestral piano (4 hands) quarter tone piano solo piano organ mixed chorus strings plus 5 violins, 1 viola, 2 harps and "ether organ"


OK, I'll let you have the choir Mr Ives, but I want all the rest. 

3 comments:

Lynne Rutter said...

now i say use the choir, too!

zmjezhd said...

Oh, go ahead Maestro, use one of the marching bands or the out of tune, upright piano. If those are out of the question, have somebody scare up a bunch of player pianos and an air raid siren ...

Michael Czeiszperger said...

Wow, that's a wonderful opportunity! You don't get handed the use of an orchestra everyday...

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