A7DF36BD-9C57-4963-AD72-9FE2F97DE8C5
| ID | A7DF36BD-9C57-4963-AD72-9FE2F97DE8C5 |
|---|---|
| Titlecode | R01291 |
| Title Name | Desiring the Solicitude of Rain |
| Marketing Copy | Desiring the Solicitude of Rain (2003-04) for tenor and chamber orchestra was commissioned by and is dedicated to tenor John McMunn in friendship and admiration. The work was conceived with his virtuosity and support of new music in mind. The text is a three part poem by American poet Kathleen Wakefield. The poem is evocative, with a landscape of rich imagery using the rain as its starting point. |
| Instrumentation | Tenor Solo, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, Trumpet, Perc(1), Str (min. 2.2.2.2.1) |
| Commission | Commissioned by John McMunn |
| Dedication | (not set) |
| Program Notes | Desiring the Solicitude of Rain (2003-04) for tenor and chamber orchestra was commissioned by and is dedicated to tenor John McMunn in friendship and admiration. The work was conceived with his virtuosity and support of new music in mind. The text is a three part poem by American poet Kathleen Wakefield. The poem is evocative, with a landscape of rich imagery using the rain as its starting point. In this work, I used musical techniques that I have been using in some of my instrumental works of the past few years, but had never before applied to a work involving voice. Wakefield's poem, with its sense of seemingly "endless sentences" encouraged me to apply the ideas of extended developing melody and harmonic clouds to this work. The result is a piece of great virtuosity for the solo voice--in terms of pitch, rhythm, and the expressive demands. It resembles a "concerto for voice and chamber orchestra" far more than it does a "song" or "song cycle" in that the voice is treated as an equal instrumental partner--doing nearly everything that the instruments do. The tenor part is the focal point of the work's musical material. The orchestra picks up resonances from the line or draws the tenor into new areas. At the end of the work, after a final upwards gesture, the voice is silent and the orchestra pulls together the resonances and echoes of the tenor part into the passionate conclusion. The three parts of the poem are reflected in the basic three part (slow-fast-slow) structure of the work. However, the slow sections are much longer than the fast one, giving the work an overall slow sense of pacing. The messages and images of Wakefield's poem drive the musical landscape of the work. --Carson P. Cooman |
| Title Brand | 2 |
| Year Composed | 2004 |
| Copyright Number | (not set) |
| Copyright Year | (not set) |
| Duration | 11 |
| Ensemble Size | 13 |
| Date Created | 2008-10-31 20:31:37.000000 |
| Date Updated | 2025-09-30 20:31:37 |
| Inhouse Note | (not set) |
| Bsc Code | (not set) |
| Text Author | (not set) |
| Premier Performance Memo | -World Premiere. John McMunn, tenor. Bach Society Orchestra/ Alexander Misono. 1 May 2004. Cambridge, MA. |
| Recording Credits | (not set) |
| Review | (not set) |
| Awards | (not set) |
| Title Category | 12 |
| Title Movements | (not set) |
| Title Grade | (not set) |
| Set Series ID | (not set) |
| Title Instrument Category Text | High Voice |
| Title Sub Category Text | (not set) |
| Title Sub Category | 55 |
| Title Instrument Header | 72 |
| Title Grade Text | (not set) |
| Clean Url | desiring-the-solicitude-of-rain-r01291 |