for violin, clarinet, cello, piano, and electronics
© 2007 by UMP Classics & Screen (BMI) International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved. RNY 1539
ISMN 979-0-073-00269-8
Warning: Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited by Federal law, and subject to criminal prosecution.
was commissioned by The Greenwich Music Festival and premiered on June 3, 2007 by Antares: Vesselin Gellev !violin", Rebecca Patterson !cello", Garrick Zoeter !clarinet", & Eric Huebner !piano"l.
Combining a chamber ensemble with the rhythmic power and drama of electronics, Red River traces the journey of the great Colorado River to its various destinations in the Southwest Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, the California desert where its overuse is a source of endless controversy. Perhaps no body of water better illustrates the age-old confrontation of humankind and nature than the great Colorado, whose very name embodies this struggle. Its early designation as Red River was a nod to the rich color arising from its special silt, which ultimately ended up trapped behind various dams erected along its way. The name changed to pay homage to the river"s source, high up in the Colorado Rockies at the Continental Divide and that is where this work begins.
Various streams accumulate as the runoff from the Rockies builds into a formidable body of water. Quicksilver figuration in the piano is echoed by the other instruments, and the electronica beats move from ambient trip-hop to energetic drum #n bass. These various musical streams unite in $Interstate 70,% an epic American freeway that parallels the Colorado through the state of Utah, and the electronics disappear as the ensemble falls into a bumpy and capricious ride.
As we arrive at the central, lyrical $Zuni Visions,% we find ourselves floating high above the river in the red rocks of Arizona"s Grand Canyon. The Zuni Indians once lived in caves up in the walls of the Canyon, and the atmospheric electronics and bending clarinet melody imagine us looking down at the river with them. This ponderous movement ends abruptly with the arrival of enormous machinery, and the ensuing $Hoover Slates Vegas% uses all manner of industrial beats in the electronics to conjure the building of the Hoover Dam the great sink of Las Vegas with a nod to the razzle-dazzle of that thirsty city. Exhausted by all this human activity, the river &and the piece' moves to its final resting place, the huge Sonoran Desert in southeastern California. The trickles of the opening have now run dry, and all we are left with is the buzzing of a Sonoran cricket amidst the vast emptiness of the desert. Many thanks to Antares for joining me in this new work, and to Ted Huffman for inviting me to his wonderful festival.
The movement titles should be listed in the program as follows:
The Continental Divide Interstate 70 Zuni Visions From the Canyon Walls Hoover Slates Vegas Running Dry on the Sonoran Floor
The piece requires simply 1! a CD player, placed on a chair next to the piano, and 2! two stereo speakers, placed behind the ensemble on the left and right sides of the stage: speakers
This speaker placement allows the ensemble to hear the electronic part and will result in a good overall level in the house. The pianist operates the CD player, pressing #play" or # pause" as indicated in the score &these moments always occur when the pianist has rests, and they do not occur often!'
Because the electronic part is primarily ambient and because the score is carefully cued when the electronics become more beat-oriented a click track is not needed. When necessary, a reduction of the electronic part is given in certain passages in the parts. In short, the electronic component is simple to set up and simple to follow.
commissioned by The Greenwich Music Festival for performance by Antares for clarinet, violin, cello, & piano
*Short, quick, breathy crescendi near end of held note
e cantbile, ma sempre sotto voce
quick, breathy crescendi near end of held
*Short, quick, breathy crescendi near end of held note , then to (CD now paused at beginning of