KPFA-FM Music Dept. ➔ Cabrillo Music Festival: 1965, Concerto for violin and percussion ensemble by Lou Harrison
Analog Audio
Event Type
MusicOrigin
KPFAIdentifier
CMF.1965.08.22Program Series
Cabrillo Music FestivalProgram Length
19 minDates
1965-08-22 | createdDescription
Also known as "Koncherto por la Violono Kun Perkuta Orkestra" (in Esperanto), this is a recording of Lou Harrison's Concerto for violin and percussion ensemble, performed during the 1965 Cabrillo Music Festival on Sunday, August 22nd. Gerhard Samuel conducts, and Austin Reller plays violin, with Jack Van der Wyk, Robert Lesoine, Donald O'Brien, Stuart Dempster, and Charles Brady playing percussion.The piece was originally commissioned by violinist Anahid Ajemian in the early 1940's. Harrison worked on it through 1959. It had its premiere by Ajemian in New York, ca. 1961.
Koncherto por la Violono Kun Perkuta Orkestra
Allegro, Maestoso
Largo, Cantabile
Allegro. vigoroso, poco presto
Notes by the Composer:
"This work, though it is more immediately a romantic one and was noticeably inspired by the Berg Violin Concerto, nonetheless finds its solid groundwork and foundation in world music. It is among many of my compositions which follow the pattern of having a single melodic part accompanied (or enhanced) by rhythmic percussion, either with or without an additional drone. The model is, of course, world-wide. This is the standard usage in India, inIslam, in Sinitic folk (if not in the cultivated) music, in Africa- and where not else? The use of a modern European instrument as soloist, the mixture of "junk" instruments with standard ones in the percussion section, and
the employment of romantic concerto form constitute the only novelties, from the world point of view. From the ethnocentric point of view, europamericans find the accompaniment by percussion instruments to be titallating and the aesthetic contrast between soloist and accompaniment a new thing.Nonetheless, I was once asked, by a distinguished artist who shall remain nameless, to make a version for use with standard "symphony orchestra." Quite full sketches of this koncherto (the language of the title is Esperanto, the international language approved by UNESCO) were made in 1940. In 1959 my friend Anahid Ajemian offered to premiere a completed version and I succeeded in readying it for her concert of that year. Subsequently the work has had multiple performances by Eudice Shapiro and been played by Fredell Lack. Preceded by my first concerto for flute and percussion, and flanked by unfinished works of similar ensemble, I would still be composing works of this general nature had a composer's life in this country proved viable. For those who share my "how-to-do-it" interests, allow me to explain the most interesting feature of the solo part. From beginning to end of the composition, the violin plays only three melodic intervals: the 'minor second', the 'major third', and the 'major sixth' - even the beginning of phrases are connected to their predecessors by one of these three intervals. From any tone, then, the compositional choice was one out of six possible ones. This method of "Interval Controls" I first conceived in the middle '30's' and have used in many works. It is, of course, a good way other than Schönberg's '12-tone system' with which to compose predominantly chromatic music."
Genres
20th century classicalNew music
Musical Selections
Concerto, for violin and percussion ensemble (1940-59, rev. 1974) / Lou HarrisonPerformers
Austin Reller, violinCabrillo Festival Percussion Ensemble
Jack Van der Wyk, percussion
Robert Lesoine, percussion
Donald O'Brien, percussion
Stuart Dempster, percussion
Charles Brady, percussion
Gerhard Samuel, conductor
Subjects
20th century classicalConcertos (Violin with percussion ensemble)