INTERNAL DATA CENTER v2.1 (MySQL)
Home
Upload
CRUDs
Writers
Titles
Title Instruments
Title Categories
Title Sub-Categories
Title Media
Series
Products
Organizations
Performances
Back to WordPress
Home
Titles
CECC3A42-D852-46B7-88FE-1C3C31D41AB6
Update
Update Title: CECC3A42-D852-46B7-88FE-1C3C31D41AB6
ID
Titlecode
Title Name
Marketing Copy
"Summer Solstice is very pleasant music--light without being insubstantial, melodic without being obvious. It has an invariably American sound." --Peter Dobrin, Philadelphia Inquirer
Instrumentation
Clarinet in "A", Piano reduction from: Clarinet Solo, String Orchestra (min. 2.2.2.2.1)
Commission
Dedication
Program Notes
In 1986 I began a “Lyric Quintet” for Clarinet and String Quartet, composing two movements of the projected three that year. As a clarinetist, I'd always been inspired by the Brahms and Mozart quintets, and I'd also recently been excited to hear Eddie Daniels' recent recordings of jazz clarinet with symphony orchestra. Work on the quintet was interrupted soon after the second movement as I became a father for the first time and then was fortunate to have a string of commissions with deadlines; as a result I had to put the Lyric Quintet aside until 1992. Coming back 6 years later with a fresh point of view, I decided this would be better for Clarinet and String Orchestra. This change to a larger string ensemble allows the thick jazz chords to be played more richly and smoothly, allows the contrasts of solo strings and tuttis, and brings the advantages of having a conductor. Having started life as intimately blended chamber music rather than a concerto, the music tends to use the clarinet as a balanced ensemble member at least as much as a soloist, and there are also many solo passages for strings. Only the third movement was originally conceived for full string orchestra, leading the final movement to have more dramatic contrasts between clarinet and strings. The music has a light, summery feel, and the friendly relationship of the clarinet to the strings somehow struck me as a solstice-like meeting point, therefore the title “Summer Solstice.” The work was premiered in Philadelphia on March 31, 1994 by Orchestra 2001 conducted by James Freeman, with Arne Running as clarinet soloist. As a high school student in 1973 and 1974, I spent summers at the Aspen Music Festival studying composition and saxophone, and I was fortunate to become friends there with clarinetist John Bruce Yeh. Even at 17 John was a remarkable player by the highest standards, and he premiered a lot of difficult music and was given many performing opportunities that were generally reserved only for the top faculty. Although we hadn't stayed in touch over the years, in 1994 I sent John a recording of Summer Solstice following the premiere, and this has led to a fortunate reacquaintance with many performances by John of Summer Solstice.
Title Brand
Year Composed
Copyright Number
Copyright Year
Duration
Ensemble Size
Date Created
Date Updated
Inhouse Note
Bsc Code
Text Author
Premier Performance Memo
Recording Credits
Review
Awards
Title Category
Title Movements
Title Grade
Set Series ID
Title Instrument Category Text
Title Sub Category Text
Title Sub Category
Title Instrument Header
Title Grade Text
Clean Url
Save