Argento, Dominick - Orpheus description:  3-part Treble Voices ISMN 9790051474646 Publisher Boosey & Hawkes (New York) Series Transient Glory

[Find your local music shop]

  
The Transient Glory series presents new choral works by some of America’s most engaging contemporary composers, specially written to celebrate the art of children’s choirs and the transient but glorious nature of young singing voices. The works, which were all commissioned for a concert performance series by the Young People’s Chorus of New York, promise to make a significant addition to the repertoire for children’s and youth choruses.

The Composer writes:
I think every composer would agree with my experience that some pieces are hard as the dickens to write and some are just plain fun. But it is not so easy to say why some pieces fall into one category or the other: perhaps it is inspiration or lack of inspiration; perhaps it is the challenge or lack of challenge; perhaps it is because one is feeling tired or feeling refreshed; maybe it even has to do with whatever we ate or to whom we spoke before we picked up the pen. I do know that it has nothing to do with whether or not the piece is simple or complex: simple pieces can be very hard and complex pieces can be lots of fun.

In any event, writing "Orpheus" for this chorus was great fun. Never having written for a youth chorus before, it was fun thinking about what sounds these young people might enjoy making and it was fun searching for and finding a text that I hoped would speak directly to them. Most importantly, my fun increased as the composition grew and I began to be convinced that they might really enjoy singing this piece; for as the writer, J. M. Thorburn, has said "all the genuine, deep delight of life is in showing people the mud-pies you have made: and life is at its best when we confidingly recommend our mud-pies to each other’s sympathetic consideration."

I hope you enjoy my mud-pie.
– Dominick Argento

There are currently no reviews for this product.

[Tell us what you think]