DAVID AVSHALOMOV. Siege. For Orchestra SCORE

Transcription

1 DAVID AVSHALOMOV Siege For Orchestra SCORE 967/999 Raven Music, V REVISED 08

2 INSTRUMENTATION Flutes, Oboes, Bb Clarinets, Bb Bass Clarinet Bassoons, F Horns,,, Bb Trumets,, Trombones,, (bass) Tuba Timani (edal, ) Percussion (min. layers) Score in C Duration: ca. 7:0 Glockensiel ( ½ oct.), sounding 5ma Xylohone ( ½ oct.), sounding 8va Marimba ( oct.) Tubular Bells Snare Drum Bass Drum Susended Cymbal Large Tam-tam (lat ace) Pianoorte (grand; lid u, ull stick) STRINGS Violins I Violins II Violas Cellos Bass (with low C extension)

3 SIEGE or Orchestra NOTE by the comoser This is a lyrical, dark, moody, dramatic work, modern-tonal in style (inluenced by Shostakovitch, Mahler, and Bartok), using the ull resources o the orchestra. It was originally conceived as ure music, not rogram music, but listeners ound that it immediately evoked images, laces, action. I decided that the succession o moods, rom slow tension through conrontation and release, suggested the siege o a medieval ortress; hence the title. The grim, stolid music o the slow gloomy oening evokes the Fortress in the re-dawn mist and watch-ire smoke. A simle rising gloomy modal melody builds u contrauntally rom the lowest voices through the ull orchestra, growing twice to abrut decetive cadences. Immediately, muted trumet and then oboes establish a reeated dotted rhythm, over echoes o the oening Fortress theme in solo tuba, then bassoon, and then, increasingly choed u into rhythmic hrases, in ull strings. The temo quickens, and woodwinds-and-horns cluster-chords thicken the ersistent rhythm to ush us into an eisode o muscular ounding brass music that evokes the saber-rattling and osturing threats o the attacking orces beore the gates. Over the dotted rhythm in trumets, solo trombone introduces the second theme (the Full Challenge), which starts with a key our-note exanding motive, and continues aggressively downward, reinorced by horns. Taking this u, the brass orces ile u over the insistent rhythm, related motives are sat out, tension builds, the snare drum rattles boastully, and a climax is reached. The ull challenge has been given. Like an echo in stone halls, the dotted-rhythm accomaniment attern continues in quiet strings, over which successive woodwinds (bassoon, clarinets, lutes) outline and extend a laintive descending melody (related to the Challenge theme), suggesting the rightened lone night watch on the tower walls. The lutes trail o in anxiety, and the string rhythm slows, then stos. The next section suggests the covert undermining o the walls. A series o quiet sustained midrange dissonant tone clusters accumulate (the individual instrument entries outlining the challenge motive), starting in woodwinds, then adding strings, urther overlaid with brass, massing to a thick tone cluster o oreboding and each layer then suddenly swelling in volume and cutting o. The gates have been breached! Immediately the inal attack is mounted. The tension is comounded by successive loud iled-u variants o the Challenge motive ractured across the choirs o the orchestra (and rom the to through the bottom octaves), building a dissonant reeated harmony juggled by three oset rhythmic and harmonic grous. Over this menacingly ulsing background, winds and trumets nastily restate the Full Challenge theme harmonized in tritones, and the whole assault machinery grinds to a halt on a series o truly ugly ullorchestral chords, hammered out and unctuated by a huge tamtam and cymbal smash. The deending orces have made a last stand. Suddenly, in rely, solo timani, iano, and chimes hammer out the Challenge motive, and the brass take it u in augmentation, all landing on an astonishing, vainglorious Bb major chord in ull orchestra, scored Wagner/Ring style. Under it, reeated Challenge motives in low brass and timani establish the attacker s victory; then this outburst settles and yields to quiet sustained octaves in woodwinds. Out o this cold emtiness the oening Fortress music returns twice (again in counteroint, but now without its strong cadences), in haunting muted strings, then in ale woodwinds over string harmonics, evoking the vanquished ortress and the heas o the dead. Over gentle echoes o the dotted rhythm, the solo oboe lays a quiet lament, susending a inal high note in the air. Under it, the low instruments try to start the Fortress melody two last times, yielding to a sustained edal tone over which the

4 orchestra laces our inconclusive chords echoing the oening cadences, then settles on a sot, bitter inal chord o deeat. ORIGIN This tone oem grew out o a sketch I wrote as a senior at Harvard College in 967. The sketch was irst read through by members o the Harvard-Radclie Orchestra under my baton. I comleted the work the next year, while studying orchestral conducting at the University o Washington. There I was encouraged by Walter Welke to transcribe it or symhonic winds, and I conducted the successul remiere o that version with his enterrising Wind Sinonietta. While serving in the USAF Band in D.C. in 969, I revised the band version, and they layed it at a reading session or new works led by Col. Arnald Gabriel. In 99 I urther revised the orchestra version without changing the thematic materials or the overall orm (A B B/develoment A ). Santa Monica, 999

5 TRANSPOSING SCORE Siege Flutes Oboes Bb Clarinets Bb Bass Clarinet Lento q =7 s oco m oco oco oco Bassoons oco Horns Bb Trumets Trombones.. (Bass) Tuba.... m m oco oco Pianoorte Timani no ed. oco Glockensiel L.V. med. hard mallet Percussion Violins Viola Violoncello Bass Susended Cymbal (wood stick) L.V. oco oco oco oco oco 99/08 Raven Music

6 B. Tt. Tim. Mar (. with Harmon Mute, m lunger extended). (loco) m Marimba (sot mallets) (judicious edaling). m Siege, Orchestra V

7 B. Tt. Tba. Tim. Mar. 0 A m (Mar.) (loco) solo m solo m. remove mute solo oco oco Siege, Orchestra V

8 + m m m Vn. m 8 oco iu mosso q = 8 (q =80) e oco a oco accel.. +. Tim. m m m m m m () izz. () izz. () izz. izz. (izz.) izz. (izz.) izz. (izz.) m m m () izz. izz. izz. (izz.) (izz.) Siege, Orchestra V

9 .. m B oco andante (h = q ) (q = 60 ) m m m 5 Tt..... senza sord cresc. m Tim. Mar. izz. izz. Marimba (sot mallets) cresc. m cresc. m hard sticks Siege, Orchestra V

10 6 5 mute. nasty. take mute o m senza sord.. Tt. m mute. m nasty nasty. take mute o. +.. senza sord m Tba. Tim.. m. +. L.V. nasty 8 senza sord Tt. cresc. oco a oco Tba. Perc. cresc. oco a oco. +. oco oco oco izz. (no edal) Snare Drum izz. izz. Siege, Orchestra V

11 Tt. brassy brassy brassy nasty nasty nasty (oen) (oen) (oen) Tba. Tim. Perc.. +. nasty no edal hard sticks S.D. (izz.) (izz.) Tt. Tba. Tim. Perc. Siege, Orchestra V menacing menacing S.D. cresc. semre cresc. cresc.

12 8 7 molto esante C oco meno mosso q = 56. solo esressivo, doloroso Tt. Tba. Tim. Perc. loco S.D. (solo).. Bass Drum hard mallet m m etc. m m m etc. etc. etc. etc. B. 0 m solo Siege, Orchestra V

13 9. m. m B. m one, solo one, solo one, sola: etc. etc. etc. one, solo: etc. D. +. m m one, solo etc. Mar. 5 m Marimba (sot mallets) Cb. Siege, Orchestra V

14 0 B. Tt. Tba. Glock. Xyl. Mar. Perc senza vibr.. senza vibr. (. +.) senza vibr. subito molto. vibrato. senza vibr.. senza vibr senza vibr subito molto vibrato senza vibr subito molto vibrato senza vibr. subito molto vibrato senza vib senza vib senza vibr senza vibr subito molto vibrato subito molto vibrato subito molto vibrato subito molto vibrato senza vib subito molto vibrato senza vib senza vib subito molto vibrato subito molto vibrato Glockensiel (hard mallets, not lastic) Xylohone (hard mallets, not lastic) niente Sus. Cym. secco. tutti senza vibr. senza vibr. wood stick subito molto vibrato subito molto vibrato subito molto vibrato sul G tutti senza vibr. subito molto vibrato sul G senza vibr. subito molto vibrato tutte senza vibr. subito molto vibrato senza vibr. subito molto vibrato tutti div. senza vibr. senza vibr. subito molto vibrato tutti (vibrato normale) Siege, Orchestra V

15 B. Tt. Tba. Glock. Xyl. Mar.. +. E hard rubber mallets Mar. Glock.. (cue Mar.) Siege, Orchestra V

16 B molto allargando. +. Tt. Xyl..... (no edal) Xylo. Siege, Orchestra V

17 B. Tt. Tba. Tim. Xyl. Mar. Gong solo, ugly b b soli sz m soli sz (Xylo.) Tubular Chimes soli. Larghissimo Sus. Cym. e= 56 un oco iu mosso e = 66 iu mosso q =. +.(cue Tt..). +. (cue Tt..). +. (cue Tt..). (ot.). +. Tam-Tam sot mallets Snare Drum (rim shots) large sot mallets Bass Drum div. div. izz. izz. sz sz sz b b sz sz Siege, Orchestra V

18 B. Tt. Tba. Tim. Glock. Xyl. Mar. Perc. ancora iu mosso F q = oen Bb horn li it oen Bb horn L. V. both mallets Glock. Tubular Chimes (ot.) S. Cym. B. Dr. li it oen Bb horn li it oen Bb horn li it (valve trem.)... (loco) 5 5 gliss. gliss. (valve trem.).. Siege, Orchestra V

19 B. Tt. Tba. Tim. Tub. B... oco rit. q =. saety breath, i necessary (,) (, ) m m (sub.) m (sub.) single mallets (sub.) Marimba (at sot mallets) izz. m izz. m izz. m izz. m izz. () () () () izz. izz. m 5 Siege, Orchestra V

20 6 G 7 Poco Rit. Lento e = q q =7... (cue ) (ossia--or breath) (lay) B. (ossia--or breath) (cued in ) (cue B) (lay) Tim. Mar. S... Marimba (at sot mallets) mute mute mute senza vib mute senza vib mute senza vib senza vib senza vib mute senza vib mute senza vib Solo Violin. senza vib (no mute) mute senza vib gli altri div. mute senza vib Siege, Orchestra V

21 7 80 (.) B. Tim. Mar. S. mutes o. mutes o. mutes o mutes o. one, solo (no mute) S. Viola Sola (no mute) mutes o S. Vcl. Solo (no mute) mutes o mutes o Siege, Orchestra V

22 8 H 85 (.) Largo q = 50 solo oco libero esressivo B. S. S.. (.) rit. 89 q = 0 riten. deliberate ( ) ( ) ( ). colla arte colla arte Siege, Orchestra V

23 9 a temo q = m 9 m m m B. Tt... start senza ed. (Harmon Mute,. Solo lunger extended) m m m m m m Perc. Snare Drum (no accent) Sus. Cym. L.V. wood snare stick, ti tutti tutti tutte senza sord. m senza sord. tutti div. senza sord. izz. m m senza sord. m Siege, Orchestra V

24 0 B. Tt. Tba. Tim. Mar. 96 (+) m.. m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m (m) m senza sord. m. mute senza sord. (m) m. (senza sord.) m.. m Marimba (at, sot mallets) m izz. m m izz. m izz. m m izz. m m izz. Siege, Orchestra V

25 DAVID AVSHALOMOV Orchestral Works Siege [8], ull orchestra Endgame [5], ull orchestra, commissioned by Portland, OR Jewish Community Orchestra, Dr. Donald Aert, Music Director Gems, Suite o Miniatures [ total], ull orchestra Elegy [8] string orchestra Diamond Variations on an original theme [] string orchestra with (ot.) har Pangs o Love [] Romantic variations on a Rachmanino melody, string orchestra, commissioned by the San Jose Chamber Orchestra, Barbara Day Turner, Music Director Passacaglia Para el Niño Muerto ['5], chamber orchestra Trotzky s Train [0], iano with string orchestra Secial Judges Citation, American Prize 0 Arietta [] lute and strings (ot. nd lute) Last Run to the Mountains [] strings Concertino or Oboe [5] strings and har Songs o Lie/Songs o Death [] (Emily Dickinson) bass/baritone voice, ull orchestra Two Aocalytic Songs [6] (Shelley/Yeats) bass/baritone voice, ull orchestra Ouverture: Augustus the Strong [] baroque orchestra Intrada: Le Grand Condé [0] baroque orchestra Concerto con Timani [] (baroque style) with strings and harsichord (under nom de guerre, G. F. Salomon ) Perormance materials and comlete list o works available through Raven Music davshalomov@earthlink.net - (0) 9-6