Viewing entries tagged
On Record
Concerto in A - 1st Movement from Metropolis Ensemble on Vimeo.
American premiere of Avner Dorman’s Concerto in A for Solo Piano and String Orchestra (1995), performed on October 11, 2007 at the Angel Orensanz Center in New York City. Featuring Eliran Avni (piano) and the Metropolis Ensemble led by conductor Andrew Cyr. Video by Timothy Bakland; sound by Nils van Otterloo.
Composer Avner Dorman talks about his forthcoming studio album with Metropolis Ensemble performing his complete chamber orchestra concerti. Listen to the interview…
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers recently featured
in the ASCAP Audio Portraits series. The interview includes excerpts from the forthcoming studio album with Metropolis Ensemble performing the complete chamber orchestra concerti of Avner Dorman (from our Fall 2007 concert,
). The new album, produced by Grammy-winning
, will be released this fall.
What happens when you put Vivaldi, bluegrass, and Israeli folk music together? Why is an international cast of top musicians converging on New York City this month? Find out when Metropolis Ensemble conductor Andrew Cyr and featured composer Avner Dorman talk about our fall concert, On Record, with Classical Domain. Read the interview…
Andrew Cyr and Avner Dorman talk about the upcoming concert, On Record, working with Metropolis Ensemble, and Dorman’s music. Read the article…
Avner takes us on a journey through the composition of his concerto for pianist Eliran Avni: from Bartok and Ravel to jazz, rock, and Israeli horahs.
Avner discusses the intimate details of each of his concertos, including his inspiration, important motifs, and some of his personal story.
Program notes for the On Record concert on October 11, 2007, featuring the complete chamber orchestra concerti of Avner Dorman.
Originally, Lior Eitan commissioned me to write a piece for piccolo and harp. While I was composing the first movement, I felt that the music was more fitting to be a concerto. When Lior came over and read the first movement, we both agreed this was the case. As in traditional concertos, Piccolo Concerto has three movements — fast, slow, fast. The musical material is drawn from diverse musical genres and styles: Baroque and Classical music, Ethnic music, Jazz, and Popular music.
Baroque and Classical — The first movement is based on the classical sonata form. Throughout the piece, there are several fugues and canons. I also use many sequential patterns and other clichés of 18th century music in this piece.
Ethnic — to my ears, the Piccolo’s bottom octave sounds very similar to Middle Eastern shepherd’s flutes. In the second movement, especially, I emphasize this similarity by using characteristic modes of Middle-Eastern music, as well as common styles of ornamentation from the region. Another reference to my home region is the imitation of the sounds of desert winds and of the Mediterranean Sea in the second part of the movement.
Jazz and Popular music — From the very first notes of the concerto, the juxtaposition of a steady beat in the bass with syncopations in the upper parts serves as a key compositional technique in this piece. Frequently, the classical and ethnic motives are accompanied by short repetitive patterns. In vast sections of the piece, the soloist’s part is supposed to sound as if it is an improvisation. In certain sections of the piece, these repetitive rhythms together with the Basso-Continuo lines emulate modern drum-machines.
Program notes for the On Record concert on October 11, 2007, featuring the complete chamber orchestra concerti of Avner Dorman. One of my favorite things as a composer is to discover and explore new instruments. When Avi Avital approached me to write a concerto for him, my acquaintance with the mandolin was fairly limited. I had used it in chamber pieces only twice before, and did not know most of the repertoire for the instrument. As I got to know the instrument better, I discovered its diverse sonic and expressive possibilities. The concerto’s main conflicts are between sound and silence and between motion and stasis. One of the things that inspired me to deal with these opposites is the Mandolin’s most basic technique – the tremolo, which is the rapid repetition of notes. The tremolo embodies both motion and stasis. The rapid movement provides momentum, while the pitches stay the same. The concerto can be divided into three main sections that are played attacca:
A slow meditative movement with occasional dynamic outbursts. The tremolo and silences accumulate energy which is released in fast kinetic outbursts. The main motives of the piece are introduced, all of which are based on the minor and major second.
A fast dance like movement that accumulates energy leading to a culmination at its end. The tremolo is slowed down becoming a relentless repetition in the bass - like a heartbeat. The fast movement is constructed much like a Baroque Concerto and a Concerto Grosso. The solo and tutti alternate frequently and in many instances instruments from the orchestra join the Mandolin as additional soloists.
Recapitulation of the opening movement. After the energy is depleted, all that is left for the ending is to delve deeper into the meditation of the opening movement and concentrate on a pure melody and an underlying heartbeat.
I would like to thank Avi Avital for his dedication and commitment throughout the process of creating this piece; for many hours of experimenting with unusual techniques; for introducing me to the Mandolin’s vast repertoire, including Baroque Mandolin, Russian folk music, Bluegrass, Indian music, Brazilian Jazz and Avant-Garde; and for performing the piece with depth and virtuosity.
Program notes for the On Record concert on October 11, 2007, featuring the complete chamber orchestra concerti of Avner Dorman.
I have always loved baroque music. Even as a young child, when I did not care for classical or romantic music, I found baroque very exciting and closer to the music of our day. In retrospect I guess it was the clear rhythms, the strong reliance on the bass, and the extreme contrasts that made this music appeal to me.
In 2002 Israeli conductor Aviv Ron approached me to write a concerto for his orchestra for a series dedicated to Baroque concertos. He wanted a piece based on the music of Handel and Vivaldi, and I gladly accepted the challenge.
I chose to use the opening theme of Handel’s Concerto Grosso opus 6 no.4 as my main motif, and Vivaldi’s signature virtuosic patterns as the rhythmic driving force of the piece. The piece can be described as a “minimalist” take on baroque music, influenced by Górecki, Pärt, and Glass, and taking their techniques to new extremes.
The soloists are comprised of a String Quartet and a Harpsichord. As in a traditional concerto grosso, they serve as both soloists and as leaders for the large ensemble. Structurally, the piece has three large sections — (i) slow, (ii) fast, and (iii) slow. The opening slow section is interrupted twice by outbursts of energy, and the middle fast section gives way to a static exploration of sound toward its culmination.
Concerto Grosso was premiered in February of 2003; its revised version was premiered in November of the same year.
Program notes for the On Record concert on October 11, 2007, featuring the complete chamber orchestra concerti of Avner Dorman. Avner Dorman composed his Concerto in A at the age of 19, while he was serving in the Israeli Army. The piece was first performed by Dmitry Shteinberg and the IDF chamber orchestra conducted by Menachem Nevenhoiz in 1995. In this early piece it is possible to identify some of the compositional trends of Dorman’s later works, mainly the combination of Neo-Classicism with Rock elements; Middle-Eastern rhythms in the fast movements and transparent lyricism in the slow one; Humor and Joie de Vivre, on the one hand, and tormented moments on the other.
“My initial inspiration for the concerto came when I heard a recording of Bach’s keyboard concerto in A major on the radio (performed by piano and strings). I found the bright sound of the Violins doubling the Piano’s top line very exciting, and then and there I improvised the opening tutti of my Concerto in A. This was the first time I wrote a Neo-Classical piece. I found the challenge of doing something new while keeping the transparency and directness of the classical style very appealing. I got even more ecstatic about the piece when I realized that using the traditional harmonic vocabulary enables me to effortlessly integrate Jazz, Pop, and Rock elements into the piece. Even though the piece is dedicated to Vivaldi, one can also find in it allusions to Nina Simone, The Police, The Cure, Stravinsky, and of course, to Bach. Throughout the piece the soloist borrows patterns that are idiomatic to the string instruments of the orchestra.”
The piece is in three movements: fast-slow-fast. The first and third movements use the tutti-solo convention of the Baroque era. The second is a song without words. Movements of the Concerto: I. Allegro II. Andante III. Presto
In October, Metropolis Ensemble is embarking on our debut studio recording. In the very capable hands of David Frost, 2005’s Grammy-winning classical producer of the year, we will produce an exciting new album featuring music from our fall concert, On Record. Each of the four chamber orchestra concertos from composer Avner Dorman will be recorded and scheduled for a late-summer release in 2008. Stay tuned as we continue to share updates about the recording, mastering, and publishing process over the next year!
Metropolis Ensemble is thrilled to be a featured participant in WNYC’s Salute The Arts Initiative. WNYC profiles cultural nonprofit organizations in the New York metro area, and has selected Metropolis Ensemble as its featured participant for the month of September. Listen for our announcements on New York Public Radio, especially as we prepare for our upcoming fall concert, On Record.
Metropolis Ensemble’s fall concert, On Record, showcases the complete chamber concerti of acclaimed Israeli composer Avner Dorman. Download the press release (PDF file)…
