Rouse, Christopher: Odna Zhizn A Life (2009) 15'
for orchestra
Scoring
3(III=picc).2.corA.2.bcl.2.dbn--4.3.3.1--timp.perc(3):vib/mar/glsp/BD/bongos/sizzle cym/Chinese cym/gong/2sus.cym/tam-t/slapstick/maracas/lg ratchet/crotales/brake drum--harp--cel--strings.
Abbreviations (PDF).
Territory
This work is available from Boosey & Hawkes for the world.
World Premiere
2/10/2010
Avery Fisher Hall, New York, NY
New York Philharmonic / Alan Gilbert
Composer's Notes
In Russian, "odna zhizn" means "one life." This fifteen-minute work has been composed in homage to a person of Russian ancestry who is very dear to me. Her life has not been an easy one, and the struggles she has faced are reflected in the sometimes peripatetic nature of the music. While quite a few of my scores have symbolically translated various words into notes and rhythms, this process has been carried to an extreme degree in Odna Zhizn: virtually all of the music is focused on the spelling of names and other phrases, and it was an enormous challenge for me to fashion these materials into what I hoped would be a satisfying musical experience that functions both as the public portrayal of an extraordinary life as well as a private love letter.
— Christopher Rouse
Reproduction Rights:
This program note may be reproduced free of charge in concert programs with a credit to the composer.
for orchestra
Scoring
3(III=picc).2.corA.2.bcl.2.dbn--4.3.3.1--timp.perc(3):vib/mar/glsp/BD/bongos/sizzle cym/Chinese cym/gong/2sus.cym/tam-t/slapstick/maracas/lg ratchet/crotales/brake drum--harp--cel--strings.
Abbreviations (PDF).
Territory
This work is available from Boosey & Hawkes for the world.
World Premiere
2/10/2010
Avery Fisher Hall, New York, NY
New York Philharmonic / Alan Gilbert
Composer's Notes
In Russian, "odna zhizn" means "one life." This fifteen-minute work has been composed in homage to a person of Russian ancestry who is very dear to me. Her life has not been an easy one, and the struggles she has faced are reflected in the sometimes peripatetic nature of the music. While quite a few of my scores have symbolically translated various words into notes and rhythms, this process has been carried to an extreme degree in Odna Zhizn: virtually all of the music is focused on the spelling of names and other phrases, and it was an enormous challenge for me to fashion these materials into what I hoped would be a satisfying musical experience that functions both as the public portrayal of an extraordinary life as well as a private love letter.
— Christopher Rouse
Reproduction Rights:
This program note may be reproduced free of charge in concert programs with a credit to the composer.
Mailing List
Sign up for news updates and offers via email
SIGN UP
Featured Publication
Britten: War Requiem
Britten's pacifist masterwork, combining war poetry by Wilfred Owen with the Latin Requiem Mass, is included in the Masterworks Library of full scores, ideal for conductors, students and music lovers.
READ MORE