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Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's Symphony No.5(Concerto for Orchestra)

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Dundonnell
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« on: September 08, 2012, 11:24:56 pm »

One of the, now, very tiny number of American symphonies I have not yet been able to get hold of is Ellen Taafffe Zwilich's 5th/Concerto for Orchestra.

This seems strange ::)  It was commissioned by the Julliard School and premiered at Carnegie Hall in NYC in 2008 under the direction of James Conlon:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/29/arts/music/29juil.html

I believe that it has been performed since. Zwilich is one of the most distinguished of living American composers and most of her works are available on cd.

Surely someone out there has a recording ??? ???
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kyjo
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« Reply #1 on: September 08, 2012, 11:54:00 pm »

Sorry, Colin, I don't know of a recording, but it was performed by the South Florida Symphony Orchestra under Sebrina Maria Alfonso last March. Sadly, I was not able to attend the concert, but here are the program notes, written by the composer herself:

Premiere: October 27th, 2008. The Julliard Orchestra, conducted by James Conlon, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY.

My Symphony no. 5 (Concerto for Orchestra) was commissioned by The Julliard School in honor of Bruce and Suzie Kovner with the generous support of the Trust of Francis Goelet. It was premiered by the Julliard Orchestra under James Conlon at Carnegie Hall.

The piece is in four movements: Prologue, Celebration, Memorial, and Epilogue. The second movement celebrates the vibrant energy of the virtuoso orchestra, and the third movement was written in remembrance of composers whose voices were silenced by tyranny.

The entire work treats the orchestra like a huge chamber ensemble, in which each player or section can be a brilliant soloist in one moment and a sensitive partner the next. Like most of my large-scale works, the long line of the work grows from material in the opening movement-sometimes in clearly recognizable motives and variations, but most frequently in more subtle evolutions. Above all, this work was a voyage of discovery and I invite the performers and listeners to join me.


Yes, this is a strange situation, as nearly all of Zwilich's other works have been recorded (and wonderful works they are). Sorry if this is more of a waste of space than actual help ;D!
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Dundonnell
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« Reply #2 on: September 09, 2012, 12:17:20 am »

No...it is very interesting ;D   and further proof that the work is being performed.

Please...somebody ;D
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lescamil
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« Reply #3 on: September 09, 2012, 09:28:29 am »

Maybe a commercial recording is in the works, since the other 4 have been recorded. Maybe you can try messaging Presser and/or Naxos to see if they know anything about a forthcoming recording.

Come to think of it, for Zwilich's music being performed so often (relative to others), I can't think of one time I have seen a broadcast of her music being announced, or maybe I am not looking in the right places (and I often do).
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suffolkcoastal
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« Reply #4 on: September 22, 2012, 01:12:07 pm »

I'm eagerly awaiting the chance to hear this work too. I don't expect it'll we broadcast on R3 though, as no music by her has been broadcast in the last four years, which reflects the state to which R3 has sunk under the current regime.
I see that Steve Stucky has composed a Symphony which is being premiered at the end of next week.
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lescamil
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« Reply #5 on: September 24, 2012, 07:22:21 am »

I *think* Steven Stucky's new Symphony will be broadcasted on my local radio station this coming Sunday (since it is being premiered here). I will try to record that performance if it is broadcasted.

On topic with the Zwilich, here is a perusal score for all to look at while we await a recording:

http://issuu.com/theodorepresser/docs/zwilich-symph--5-score/1
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suffolkcoastal
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« Reply #6 on: September 24, 2012, 01:30:05 pm »

I'd be very interested to hear the Stucky lescamil if you are able to record it. I've only heard a handful of shorter pieces by him so far, so wouldn't be interested to hear how he handles the symphonic form.

If you are able to upload it could I request that it is not in .rar format, as despite numerous programme download solutions, all of the PCs I have access to have major problems with these files.
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kyjo
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« Reply #7 on: September 24, 2012, 08:28:04 pm »

I, too, would be greatly in your debt, lescamil, if you upload Stucky's symphony :). He is a composer who shows great promise :). He's sort of like a "neo-impressionistic" composer with his dazzling, colorful orchestrations.
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lescamil
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« Reply #8 on: October 01, 2012, 10:02:58 pm »

Stucky's symphony has been recorded. I will post it as soon as I have time to convert and split the file.
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kyjo
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« Reply #9 on: October 02, 2012, 02:52:09 am »

Many thanks for the Stucky symphony, lescamil :). Conducted by Dudamel, no less!
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lescamil
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« Reply #10 on: October 02, 2012, 02:56:54 am »

I should say that I ended up not using my rip, but someone else's, since mine had a few clicks and pops for unknown reasons. For all I know, the version I posted also has those clicks and pops, which might have been in the actual broadcast feed. In any case, you can hear the work.

By the way, it's quite a shame that this thread has been hijacked by Steven Stucky. I am still hoping that Zwilich's piece surfaces!
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