Daybreak& Sunset Nicola Ferro
Mr. Ferro successfully portrays certain periods of the day in his Tetralogy of the Sun, a project of 4 compositions for Trombone and Piano dedicated to Joseph Alessi, Principal Trombone of the New York Philharmonic. He vividly captures Dawn (Daybreak) and sets the music so that we can picture the sun just starting to come up in the morning; picture birds chirping, and very little sound. The piece progresses towards the sun gaining strength and height for the corona and finally the alba. Sunset, the companion piece to Daybreak, portrays the end of the day perfectly. Alessi performed the premier of Sunset on a New York recital in August 2003 and recorded both of them in 2007 on his Return to Sorrento CD.
Hymn for the Lost and Living
Eric Ewazen
Ewazen writes the following: “On September 11, 2001, I was teaching my music theory class at The Juilliard School, when we were notified of the catastrophe that was occurring several miles south of us in Manhattan. Gathering around a radio in the school’s library, we heard the events unfold in shock and disbelief. Afterwards, walking up Broadway on the sun-filled day, the street was full of silent people, all quickly heading to their homes. During the next several days, our great city became a landscape of empty streets and impromptu, heartbreaking memorials mourning our lost citizens, friends and family. But then on Friday, a few days later, the city seemed to have been transformed. On this evening, walking up Broadway, I saw multitudes of people holding candles, singing songs, and gathering in front of those memorials, paying tribute to the lost, becoming a community of citizens of this city, of this country and of this world, leaning on each other for strength and support. A Hymn for the Lost and the Living portrays those painful days following September 11th, days of supreme sadness. It is intended to be a memorial for those lost souls, gone from this life, but who are forever treasured in our memories.”
Panis Angelicus
César Franck
This verse is the last of the hymn Sacris solemniis, written by St. Thomas Acquinas for the Feast of Corpus Christi during the 13th Century. Franck made this setting in 1872 originally for tenor, organ, harp, cello, and double bass. He later arranged it for tenor, chorus, and orchestra in his Missa solenelle. This was the first serious solo I performed in public under the tutelage of Richard Thorell. I performed it with Ann Stiffler, organ, at Grace Presbyterian Church in 1970 and again at Sara Thorell’s wedding with Christine Clewell, organ, at Zion Lutheran Church in 2006.
Quando m’en vo’
Giacomo Puccini
From Act II of La Bohème; Musetta, upon noticing her boyfriend Marcello, sings of how everyone notices her beauty every time she goes out. The opera, premiered in Turin, Italy, tells the story of a community of artists in Paris, particularly the romantic relationship of Rodolfo and Mimi. Like the parallel relationship of Rodolfo's roommate Marcello and the beautiful Musetta, Mimi and Rodolfo's love is not without conflict. At the end of the opera they are united tragically as Mimi returns to the apartment and dies there, surrounded by her friends.
Palmetto Suite Mvt II. Lowcountry Sweetgrass
Eric Ewazen
Eric Ewazen offers the following about Palmetto Suite: "Palmetto Suite is gratefully dedicated to my friend Ronald Barron (Principal Trombone, Boston Symphony) whom I have known for several years. The alto trombone, with its wonderfully rich colors is an instrument that composers can write for with great expressivity. This piece was inspired by a visit I made to the coastal region of Charleston, South Carolina in the spring of 2004. My friends and I were amazed by the beauty, gracefulness, and charm of the Lowcountry of South Carolina, with its dramatic seashore, its historical architecture and its spectacular flora. Palmetto Suite is a description of this very beautiful part of the country. One windy night, walking along the coast's sand dunes, I walked right up to the ocean, and was so taken with inexorable pounding of the waves. It was energetic, almost rhythmic, and somewhat exhilarating. The second movement, "Lowcountry Sweetgrass" is influenced by the centuries-old African-American art form of the woven sweeetgrass baskets that one sees throughout the islands near Charleston. They are sold outside at these very picturesque markets and the fragrant smell of the sweetgrass becomes almost intoxicating. This movement has the sound of an old time blues harmony and rhythm to convey this image of traditional Americana.” Mrs. Cramer and I attended the premier performance of this piece at the 2004 International Trombone Festival with Messrs. Barron and Ewazen performing.
Concerto No. 3 in Eb Mvt II. Romanze
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
All of Mozart's horn concertos were written for Ignaz Leutgeb, a Salzburg-born horn player of considerable talent. The third is listed as K.447 and is the only one of the four horn concertos that exists in a complete manuscript form. An exact date of composition cannot be identified, but musicologists agree it was written in Vienna between the years 1784 and 1787. Christian Lindberg recorded all four of the concertos on alto trombone in 1990.
The Trumpet Shall Sound
George Frideric Handel
Messiah is an oratorio by based on a libretto by Charles Jennens. Messiah is Handel's most famous creation and is among the most popular works in Western choral literature. In the summer of 1741 Handel, at the peak of his musical prowess but depressed and in debt, began setting the Biblical libretto to music at his usual breakneck speed. In just 24 days, Messiah was complete. It was premiered during the following season, on April 13, 1742, as part of a series of charity concerts in Neal's Music Hall on Fishamble Street in Dublin. Right up to the day of the premiere, Messiah was troubled by production difficulties and last-minute rearrangements of the score. Mr. and Mrs. Cramer performed a different arrangement of this with Mr. Conway on their joint recital in April of 1975 at IUP.
Pavane
Gabriel Fauré
The pavane, a slow, stately sixteenth-century processional court dance was performed by pairs of dancers arranged in formal patterns. Fauré’s Pavane dates from 1886 and is dedicated to the Countess Greffulhe, a patron of Parisian society of the time. Originally written for orchestra alone, choral parts were added three days after the premier. Our arrangement was done by David Baldwin for brass quintet.
