Alchemy @ UMich
The Symphony Band’s performance last Wed. night was wonderful. Many thanks to Miller Asbill for programming the piece and the great job conducting, to Michael Haithcock for making this possible (and for dinner!), and of course, the band. As is often the case, the dress rehearsal was even better than the performance (it was, in fact perfect). The opening 4 minutes or so were the best I’ve ever heard (also helped by the fact that there were so few people in the audience, unlike during the actual concert, when someone slowly, painfully, tediously unwrapped a cough drop over the course of 5 or 6 bars – it was deafening). But whatever. It was a fantastic performance, and I’m deeply honored the group performed the piece.
Me, Miller Asbill, Michael Haithcock, after the performance
Last Thursday I had the wonderful opportunity to read through my just-finished 4th Parody Suite piece with the BGSU Wind Symphony (shout out to Bruce Moss for the generosity!). This is one of the amazing benefits of being ‘in-residence’ – it’s the next best thing to having your own court orchestra.
The piece is a bit different than the other Parody Suite pieces in that it’s not funny or tongue-in-cheek. It’s more a fantasia on Holst’s First Suite in Eb. Almost dreamlike. Lots of aleatory and such – I describe it as Holst meets early-80s Corigliano. The title, however, is every bit as corny as the other three…