Publishing Latest

I think I've made the final corrections to From Her Husband's Hand for Saxophone and Chamber Orchestra. I should receive a proof this week and should approve it right away. I changed the postscript files to 2400 dpi to see if that makes the hairpins a little smoother. They didn't look bad, but I discovered that I can send them 2400 dpi files, so that might improve the look even more.

I think either Stimmen or the Violin/Piano version of A Point of Amber Light will be next. There is a possible performance for either coming up, so it is time to get them finalized.

I'll put up a link when From Her Husband's Hand is on sale.

Just thinking

Thinking.

I have to revise an arrangement over the holidays, but I'm thinking about the future now. I've got 70% of a piano concerto written, but with no prospect of a performance, I'm considering employing my energies elsewhere. Yes, I could try to finish it, but ...

I'm about to have a bunch of things broadcast on our local radio station. I'll let you know when the pieces are scheduled. I also have a possible performance coming up in the spring. I missed out on an opportunity to have Solomon's Seal performed a couple of weeks ago. I learned of the possibility late, and couldn't find a performer with enough free time to learn it. Now, I have more time, but the question is: What piece? Something with strings is probably best, although I may have a taker for Stimmen.

But that is all old stuff. I need to write something new.

I'm also considering an arrangement of From Her Husband's Hand for Cello and Sinfonietta. I've been considering a version for cello for a long time, and hearing Jakob Kullberg during the summer has solidified my desire to do this at some point. (Jakob are you reading this? We should discuss the possibility.)

It has also been suggested that I write a version for Sax and wind ensemble. (Anyone interested?)

Just thinking. You know ...

More publishing news

I've finally finished correcting the orchestral score for From Her Husband's Hand, and have uploaded it to CreateSpace. Now it will be a few days before they clear it, and then a week or so before I can approve the proof. That means in about 3 weeks, it will go up for sale on Amazon, provided it all looks OK.

Next on the list is the violin/pno version of A Point of Amber Light. I figure I'll never get another performance without it, so it's time.  Stimmen may come soon, too. It may even be ready, except for a few mechanical additions. That's flute and piano ... for all you flautists out there!

After that, who knows? Perhaps No Free Lunch, since it may also be ready, then maybe, just maybe, I'll finish setting my third Symphony and start peddling it around for a performance. Or maybe I'll finish Chaos first.

Muse, I'm waiting!

New life

I've been asked to revise the Concertino arrangement, this time orchestrating as I would prefer. The last one was constrained by the composer's instructions. Although I never actually heard it, I felt that it was rather sparse and out of the comfortable range of some instruments. I should also be able to add some octave doublings and thicken the texture to make it as dark as the original piano accompaniment. The percussion is kind of superfluous, too, so I'll have to revisit it.

I'm told that the publisher will have someone read and record for the composer to approve, and then I assume there will be a performance, but I don't know when yet. (I'll have to finish the arrangement first.)


I've also decided that I may have a go at finishing my piano concerto, just because I need to finish SOMETHING of my own (that isn't literary fiction).

I've also had thoughts of arranging my sax concerto (From Her Husband's Hand) for either cello and orchestra (slightly reduced from the original) or for sax and wind ensemble. Both would work well, I think, so it is just a matter of putting the time in ... but of course, I have a huge teaching load this term.

More disappointment

I went to Copenhagen last week to a concert which I expected would include two of my Nørgard arrangements, but one was cancelled weeks ago (and nobody told me) and the other was cancelled at the last rehearsal, although I knew that it was a possibility beforehand. It seems they hadn't scheduled enough rehearsal time to put together a Danish cellist, a Polish orchestra and a British conductor.

It appears that the first piece that was cancelled is going to be played later in the year (possibly as early as August) while I haven't heard anything about when the piece that was cancelled at the last minute would be rescheduled.

I did get to visit Hindsgavl Slot (see my Facebook acct for pics) and hear some fantastic cello playing. (I'm thinking of writing a piece for him, or possibly arranging my sax concerto for cello, since the full version still hasn't been performed. We'll see. I have yet to discuss either possibility with him.)

My teaching load this year is larger, so I don't know if I'll be able to attend either of the rescheduled concerts. We'll see.

Cold Turkey

Well, I haven't written a note since the disaster. I've had some thoughts about doing some more publishing. From Her Husband's Hand is at the top of the list. All I need to do is proof, correct, and pdf it. Unfortunately, it's in a box in the attic and will have to wait until we move again in June. I'm still looking for a premiere of the orchestral version.

I'm also thinking of publishing Inner Sanctum. I set it in Finale, so it doesn't look as good as the ones in Score, but I don't want to spend any time on it. It looks fairly good and is ready to go. I just need to have a quick peek at the parts. The reduction of A Point of Amber Light is nearly there, too, but I may transfer it to Sibelius, as it is in an old version of Finale.

I'm also considering transferring Oyre's Garden into Sibelius and publishing that. It's my most performed piece, so it is probably worth getting it out there.

Stimmen is actually ready - I just need to make pdfs - and being a chamber work (fl, pf), is probably the most performable at this point in time. I've never heard the revised version, and although it was scheduled for two performances, I don't know if they ever happened.

Crash: Burn

A week or so ago, I sent out a pdf of what I had (ca 70%) of the concerto to the conductor, so he could get an early start on the piece.

Today, I got some disappointing news back: the conductor loved it, but ...

... the orchestra cancelled the performance. Because:

1)  There was a section that was too hard. (It is still early enough to simplify.) 

2)  The string parts were too difficult. (Really? Anyway, ditto.)

3)  The committee felt that the piece wasn't something the Scarborough public would enjoy. (Dammit, they had recordings of my music. They knew what to expect!)

Yes, that was the bottom line. They'd been talked into programming the piece, not really wanting to play something "new." What did they want? Philip Glass? I've got news for you folks; his music is hard - I mean really hard - to play. It's not like I'm Uncle Milty (Babbitt).

I've offered them another piece, but it has already been played several times, and I'm not going to spend £1000 just to go hear an ordinary (at best) performance. I probably won't even receive any performance rights for it. (I didn't the last time it was played in St John's Smith Square, a major concert venue.) The Spa in Scarborough just doesn't rate that high. I doubt they will go for it anyway.

What now?

In the short term, I'm too busy to work on it. Will I finish it? I don't know right now. If anyone is interested, I will, of course.

What will happen to this blog? I don't know. I suppose I'll keep it for my composing thoughts (if I ever compose again).

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