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Vivid Geography

for women's chorus and chamber orchestra

  • Year

    2011
  • Duration

    15:00
  • Level

    Professional
  • Perusal Score

    View

Setting Marcella Durand’s Scale Shift was a singular pleasure; the language and rhythm in all of her poetry consistently resonates with me, so it was actually quite difficult to choose the right one for this piece. I met Marcella in our neighborhood through our children, who are playground friends. After seeing her only in the rather distracting context of toddler birthday parties and play-dates, I stumbled upon one of her poems in a magazine, and then when I started thinking about this piece I made an enjoyable project of looking at more of her work, all of which is chunky with poetics and evocatively fractured in a style that exactly suited the sound and style I was planning for the work. The ensemble I selected is pared down to an almost sinfonietta-type instrumentation, in order to create an intimate balance with the women’s chorus, and to match the delicacy of colors in Marcella’s beautiful poem.

Marcella Durand’s Scale Shift used by kind permission of Belladonna* Series and Marcella Durand.

Genres:   OrchestraVocal

Subgenres:   Large EnsembleChoral

Instrumentation

1.1.2inA(2dbBClar).1, 4Sax, 1.1.1.1, Perc(Crot/ Glock/ TBells/ Timp/ HHat/ RideCym/ SuspCym/ Tri/ MTree).Mar.Vibr,
SSAChor, Strings(1.1.1.1)

Commissioned by

Nobuya Sugawa, Katsuki Tochio, Mamoru Nakata, Kotai Yo
The Nagoya Academic Winds
Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare “Heartful Winds” – Toshiya Iwata
Iyo High School – Kimihiko Hasegawa
Gifu Sogo Gakuen High School – Makoto Tada
The University of Houston Wind Ensemble – David Bertman

For the 2011 Japan Wind Ensemble Conductors Conference


Recorded on

  1. Vivid Geography

Recent Performances

  • April 11, 2013 - The Florida State University Chamber Winds and Chorus at Opperman Music Hall, Tallahassee, FL. Conducted by Richard Clary. U.S. Premiere
  • April 9, 2011 - Nagoya Academic Winds at Okazaki City Center, Cho, Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, JAPAN. Conducted by Nakata Mori. 2011 Japan Wind Ensemble Conductors Conference "MID"
  • March 27, 2011 - Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra and Chorus at Senzoku Maeda Hall College of Music, Kawasaki City, JAPAN. CANCELLED DUE TO EARTHQUAKE 2011 Japan Wind Ensemble Conductors Conference, Commission and World Premiere / Saitou Itirou