Philadelphia

SKU: HL.44013453

UPC: 888680927660.

In the summer of 2010 Dirk Brossé was appointed music director of The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. During his inauguration concert in September that year he brought a musical surprise to the city in which he would work for the next ten years. Philadelphia, an American Overture is dedicated to the people of America's first capital city. We hear the energy, the power, the freedom and the vitality of the multi-ethnic “City of Brotherly Love.”.

SKU: CF.AS144

ISBN 9781491160602. UPC: 680160919192.

Often referred to as the Dean of African American Composers, William Grant Still's illustrious career contained many ground-breaking achievements. Following the massive success of his critically acclaimed Symphony No. 1, the Afro-American Symphony (1930), Still's Symphony No. 2 was premiered in 1937 by the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of conductor Leopold Stokowski. The work, subtitled Song of a New Race, infuses elements of blues and jazz into the classical form, creating a uniquely blended sound to reflect Still's vision of an increasingly diverse American culture. Slow, dreamy themes are expressed through lush harmonies utilizing thick textures along with solo and divisi playing. The tension between traditional and jazz idioms is felt in the push and pull of shifting tempo and tonality. Originally composed for Full Orchestra, this slightly abridged version for String Orchestra includes the original harp part, honoring the legacy of one of America's greatest composers.
Often referred to as the Dean of African American Composers, William Grant Still's illustrious career contained many ground-breaking achievements. Following the massive success of his critically acclaimed Symphony No. 1, the Afro-American Symphony (1930), Still's Symphony No. 2 was premiered in 1937 by the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of conductor Leopold Stokowski. The work, subtitled Song of a New Race, infuses elements of blues and jazz into the classical form, creating a uniquely blended sound to reflect Still's vision of an increasingly diverse American culture. Slow, dreamy themes are expressed through lush harmonies utilizing thick textures along with solo and divisi playing. The tension between traditional and jazz idioms is felt in the push and pull of shifting tempo and tonality. Originally composed for Full Orchestra, this slightly abridged version for String Orchestra includes the original harp part, honoring the legacy of one of America's greatest composers.
Often referred to as the Dean of African American Composers, William Grant Still's illustrious career contained many ground-breaking achievements. Following the massive success of his critically acclaimed Symphony No. 1, the Afro-American Symphony (1930), Still's Symphony No. 2 was premiered in 1937 by the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of conductor Leopold Stokowski. The work, subtitled Song of a New Race, infuses elements of blues and jazz into the classical form, creating a uniquely blended sound to reflect Still's vision of an increasingly diverse American culture. Slow, dreamy themes are expressed through lush harmonies utilizing thick textures along with solo and divisi playing. The tension between traditional and jazz idioms is felt in the push and pull of shifting tempo and tonality. Originally composed for full orchestra, this slightly abridged version for string orchestra includes the original harp part, honoring the legacy of one of America's greatest composers.
Often referred to as the “Dean of African American Composers”, William Grant Still’s illustrious career contained many ground-breaking achievements. Following the massive success of his critically acclaimedSymphony No. 1, the Afro-American Symphony (1930), Still’s Symphony No. 2 was premiered in 1937 by the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of conductor Leopold Stokowski. The work, subtitled “Song of a New Race”, infuses elements of blues and jazz into the classical form, creating a uniquely blended sound to reflect Still’s vision of an increasingly diverse American culture. Slow, dreamy themes are expressed through lush harmonies utilizing thick textures along with solo and divisi playing. The tension between traditional and jazz idioms is felt in the push and pull of shifting tempo and tonality. Originally composed for full orchestra, this slightly abridged version for string orchestra includes the original harppart, honoring the legacy of one of America’s greatest composers.

SKU: PR.466411770

UPC: 680160640850. 9 x 12 inches.

Mississippi I. Father of Waters: born of the Highlands and the Lakes; the Glaciers, the Mountains, and the Prairies. The picture of your birth is clounded in the ice and mists of ancient ages but your spirit remains our life stream. II. The Red Man knew your bountiful gifts and gave thanks to the Great Spirit on your banks. -- The Spanish and French Fathers brought the glory of Christianity to America on Mississippi. But all men, white and dark; -- Indian, Spaniard, and Negro; Bourbon and Yankee, combined to make Mississippi the heart of America. Saga of the Mississippi Harl McDonald Born near Boulder, Colorado, July 27, 1899 Now living in Philadelphia The original suggestion for a symphonic work on the subject of the Mississippi came indirectly from the late Booth Tarkington who saw in it color and movement and atmosphere translatable into the terms of music. In the course of time, by the mysterious processes of composers' chemistry, it took shape as a tone-poem of two sections, one representing the rise of the great stream from its primeval geologic sources, the other the human history of the river. Mr. McDonald devised the following verbal outline of the general scheme of his diptych: I. Father of Waters: born of the Highlands and the Lakes; the Glaciers, the Mountains, and the Prairies. The picture of your birth is clounded in the ice and mists of ancient ages but your spirit remains our life stream. II. The Red Man knew your bountiful gifts and gave thanks to the Great Spirit on your banks. -- The Spanish and French Fathers brought the glory of Christianity to America on Mississippi. But all men, white and dark; -- Indian, Spaniard, and Negro; Bourbon and Yankee, combined to make Mississippi the heart of America. The first of the two movements, beginning molto andante, is vaguel modal to hint at antiquity. It is built upon the conventional two themes, with an episode, poco piu mosso, misterioso, for prehistoric murk and muck. There are various changes of pace and mood. The second, Allegro ma vigorosamente, prefigures an Indian ceremony. A theme presented by flute, clarinet and bassoon is a Canadian Indian fishing call collected by the late J.B. Beck. A later passage of quasi-Gregorian chant identifies the French and Spanish priests who made the great river their highway. The fishing-call is altered in rhythm and harmony to represent Negro field hands and roustabous. A turbulent close brings all these elemts together in the muddy swirling currents of the Mississippi. The work was begun in the summer of 1945, and was revised and completed in the summer of 1947. Harl McDonald, who is the manager of The Philadelphia Orchestra, has concerned himself with music as an art, as a science and as a business in course of his career. He was born on a cattle ranch in the Rockies, but since his was a musical family, his up-bringing combined piano lessons with ranch life. Years of study and professional experience followed in Los Angeles and in Germany. In 1927 he was appointed lecuter in composition at the University of Pennsylvania and he has since then made is home in Philadelphia. In 1933 under a grant of the Rockefeller FOundation he collaborated with physicists in research dealing with the measurement of instrumental and vocal tone, new scale divisions and the resultant harmonies. In that same year he was named head of the University's music faculty and conductor of its choral organizations. In 1939, having been a member of the Board of Directors for five years, he was appointed manager of The Philadelphia Orchestra. He continus to write, but otherwise his entire attention is now devoted to managerial duties. Chief items in the catalogue of his compositions are four symphonies, three orchestra suites, a half-dozen tone-poems, three concertos and considerable quantity of choral music.

SKU: PR.416413310

8.5 x 11 inches.

PHILLY RHAPSODY was commissioned by Network for New Music for Philadelphia’s HS for the Creative and Performing Arts, whose campus is on the same block as Philly International Records (home of The Sound of Philadelphia R&B) and the Philadelphia Orchestra (known for The Philadelphia Sound). Dorff’s has created a hybrid with the soul of one style and the rich elegance of the other.

SKU: PR.111402440

ISBN 9781491101308. UPC: 680160616053. 9.5 x 13 inches. Old MacDonald Had A Farm.

Commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association, Dorff uses the familiar Old MacDonald to introduce children to various instruments within an orchestra, calling upon each in turn for examples of their sounds, and then merging all of the soloists into an original variation on the theme. An effective showcase for children's concerts. Duration: 6'.

SKU: PR.11140244S

UPC: 680160616077. 9.5 x 13 inches. Old MacDonald Had A Farm.

Commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association, Dorff uses the familiar Old MacDonald to introduce children to various instruments within an orchestra, calling upon each in turn for examples of their sounds, and then merging all of the soloists into an original variation on the theme. An effective showcase for children's concerts. Duration: 6'.

SKU: PR.11441733S

UPC: 680160631865.

Strin g Quartet No. 9 is the fourth that Wernick has written for the Juilliard Quartet. A commission by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Wernick's ninth string quartet was premiered by the Juilliard in November, 2015 and subsequently taken on tour. The first movement's affect (marked 'Assertive, Aggressive') [compares] to Rockport's forbidding coastline in the eyes of the first. settlers. This was an apt analogy since the work's musical language is, in today's vernacular, 'gnarly.' [The second movement]...a 'never-ending throb of repeated notes'...the effect of steadily diminishing life-force, though with a 'final burst of hope from the solo cello.' Again, the composer made intriguing use of many of the different ways stringed instruments can produce sound. Geoffrey Wieting, The Boston Musical Intelligencer.

SKU: PR.114417330

UPC: 680160631841.

Strin g Quartet No. 9 is the fourth that Wernick has written for the Juilliard Quartet. A commission by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Wernick's ninth string quartet was premiered by the Juilliard in November, 2015 and subsequently taken on tour. The first movement's affect (marked 'Assertive, Aggressive') [compares] to Rockport's forbidding coastline in the eyes of the first. settlers. This was an apt analogy since the work's musical language is, in today's vernacular, 'gnarly.' [The second movement]...a 'never-ending throb of repeated notes'...the effect of steadily diminishing life-force, though with a 'final burst of hope from the solo cello.' Again, the composer made intriguing use of many of the different ways stringed instruments can produce sound. Geoffrey Wieting, The Boston Musical Intelligencer.

SKU: PR.114417500

UPC: 680160634910. 9.5 x 13 inches.

Stream for Clarinet and String Quartet (2015) was commissioned by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society in celebration of its 30th Anniversary Season, through support of The William Penn Foundation. The first performance was in April 2016 at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. Notes from the composer: The 'line' in Stream is often threaded together into a chain made up of separate 'points' played by the strings, and sometimes by the string and the clarinet. An analogy might be that each instrument, at times, produces a single 'ray of light' from within the larger light source. Moreover, there are many passages where the intended effect is that of the strings providing a 'halo' surrounding the solo clarinet. Similarly, the clarinet often dovetails with, as well as emerges or submerges in and out of, a strand in the string music..
What's in a name?   In my titles, I generally aim to capture something that I believe to be essential about the particular work.  At some level this is to offer an entry-point for the listener, a glimpse of the composition in its totality.  STREAM as a title came to be when much of the music was already fully composed, and it encapsulates much of what I wish to say in words about this work: it suggests flow - whether gentle or forceful; it implies a journey, one that could take us onto unexpected terrains yet is always moving forward; embedded into this word is also the idea of stream of consciousness, and with it, free association and unexpected twists of fancy. Approximately 16 minutes in duration, STREAM is to be played without a break, yet there are strong elements of a three-movement structure here. An expository quasi-first-movement lays out important materials of varying character; the middle part, suggesting contrast and repose, is initially slow and reflective, but then embarks on new explorations of the notion of stasis, while the final movement is dominated by fast-moving music of high energy that consolidates the previous materials.  Important throughout is the way in which seemingly transitional stretches of music emerge and propel the music onward in ways that are at once unexpected and fantastical. A composer's statement about this work would not be complete without acknowledging the degree to which the work was inspired by the awareness that it was being created for a quintet of extraordinary performers of the most beautiful and flowing musicianship - clarinet virtuoso Anthony McGill and the intrepid Brentano Quartet. Shulamit Ran .

SKU: PR.416415150

ISBN 9781598069020. UPC: 680160621743. 9 x 12 inches.

Inspired by the alluring, human-like sound of the Ney (a Persian bamboo flute), Ranjbaran aims not only to highlight the modern flutist’s ability to play agile and brilliant passages, but also to emulate the delicate sound of the Ney, particularly in extended solo passages. The three-movement 27-minute concerto was commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra for its principal flutist Jeffrey Khaner. The piano reduction (published separately) was designed by the composer to be practical in recital performances. CONCERTO for Flute and Orchestra has been recorded for Naxos by Érik Gratton with the Nashville Symphony conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero.
The melancholic tone of the Ney (the Persian bamboo flute) is known for its alluring sound, emulating the human voice.  In Persian literature, the Ney is considered a mystic instrument capable of expressing deep human emotions.In writing my flute concerto, I aimed not only to highlight the modern flautist’s ability to play agile and brilliant passages but also to emulate the delicate sound of the Ney, particularly in extended solo flute passages.Two prominent characters permeate the first movement of my concerto.  They are marked in the score as lamentoso, and con spirito, expressing grief and loss, and joy of living respectively.  The lament is mostly expressed in several extended cadenzas for solo flute while the con spirito consists of robust and energetic fast sections played by all forces of the orchestra.  Apart from these two characters there are moments of mystery, comedy and the grotesque, among others.In the second movement, the lyrical and poetic character of the flute is prominently presented in dream-like passages surrounded by shimmering and tender orchestral colors.  The solo flute is left out in an agitated middle section that references the first movement.  In the third section of the movement the solo flute returns in meditative fashion culminating in a duet with the harp.The third movement is written as one continuous quasi scherzo, challenging the limits of agility and brilliance of the flute.  Some of the materials from the earlier movements are presented again with joyous character.  The coda elevates the concerto into its brightest and most festive character, driving to the end with relentless energy.

SKU: PR.11441750S

UPC: 680160634934. 9.5 x 13 inches.

Stream for Clarinet and String Quartet (2015) was commissioned by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society in celebration of its 30th Anniversary Season, through support of The William Penn Foundation. The first performance was in April 2016 at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. Notes from the composer: The 'line' in Stream is often threaded together into a chain made up of separate 'points' played by the strings, and sometimes by the string and the clarinet. An analogy might be that each instrument, at times, produces a single 'ray of light' from within the larger light source. Moreover, there are many passages where the intended effect is that of the strings providing a 'halo' surrounding the solo clarinet. Similarly, the clarinet often dovetails with, as well as emerges or submerges in and out of, a strand in the string music..
What's in a name?   In my titles, I generally aim to capture something that I believe to be essential about the particular work.  At some level this is to offer an entry-point for the listener, a glimpse of the composition in its totality.  STREAM as a title came to be when much of the music was already fully composed, and it encapsulates much of what I wish to say in words about this work: it suggests flow - whether gentle or forceful; it implies a journey, one that could take us onto unexpected terrains yet is always moving forward; embedded into this word is also the idea of stream of consciousness, and with it, free association and unexpected twists of fancy. Approximately 16 minutes in duration, STREAM is to be played without a break, yet there are strong elements of a three-movement structure here. An expository quasi-first-movement lays out important materials of varying character; the middle part, suggesting contrast and repose, is initially slow and reflective, but then embarks on new explorations of the notion of stasis, while the final movement is dominated by fast-moving music of high energy that consolidates the previous materials.  Important throughout is the way in which seemingly transitional stretches of music emerge and propel the music onward in ways that are at once unexpected and fantastical. A composer's statement about this work would not be complete without acknowledging the degree to which the work was inspired by the awareness that it was being created for a quintet of extraordinary performers of the most beautiful and flowing musicianship - clarinet virtuoso Anthony McGill and the intrepid Brentano Quartet. Shulamit Ran .