Ruth Lomon

for bassoon and orchestra

ca. 17'15"

"Throughout the work Lomon shows a deft hand at orchestration, supporting the solo bassoon with a subtly balanced ensemble that highlights individual instruments in delightful combinations. Her masterful use of color lends a kaleidoscopic landscape to the work." 

- Luna Pearl Woolf, IAWM Journal

The Bassoon Concerto was composed in 1978-79 during breaks from teaching composition, piano, and solfege. The 1st movement was composed in August 1978 during a residency at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, NM. The 2nd movement was completed in November at the Ossabaw Island Project, an arts colony off the coast of Savannah, Georgia. The 3rd was composed a year later while Lomon was living in Paris.

The Concerto is written in a freely atonal style that eschews strict serialism. The 1st movement is strongly influenced by a quote from Lomon's setting of 'Oh, Rose' for contralto and viola that was published 15 years earlier in her song cycle based on the poetry of William Blake. The song's opening rising motive, B-D-Bb, becomes a pivotal gesture in this movement.

The musical form of this work owes much to elements of timbre and sonority. Lomon's attention to detail is evident in the delicate and ever changing effects she achieves with this "chamber music" style of orchestration.

Two musical quotations play a role in the structure of the 2nd movement: a hymn, "Lead us heavenly Father, lead us" and the French children's song "Sur le Pont d'Avignon." Both melodies merge in the brass before disappearing from the movement.

The scherzo 3rd movement was inspired by a dance recital that Lomon attended in Paris. The dancer was encased in a sack from which he attempted to free himself. A richly patterned isorhythmic technique in the woodwinds and layering of the wind instruments functions as the sack while the bassoon line emulates the dancer trying to break free. There are also the sounds of Paris–church bells and an imitation of the Doppler effect as police cars approach and pass by a stationary object.

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Ruth Lomon

for flute, clarinet, oboe/english horn, bassoon, horn in F, timpani, percussion, harp, soprano, mezzo soprano, tenor, bass, baritone, violin, viola, cello, and bass

An oratorio for SATB chorus, SATB soloists, and chamber orchestra. There are 14 movements, any of which may be performed separately. The text for the oratorio is composed of poetry of victims and survivors of the Holocaust, sung in six languages.

The first chorus, a Hebrew supplication from the 2nd century gives a historical perspective to the Testimony of Witnesses Oratorio. The baritone solo The Survivor tells of the guilt of the survivor. Mes Yeux describes poignantly the roundup of Jews in Paris where the poet lived. Lokomotywa is a child's poem about a wonderous train rushing through the countryside - but where is it going?

The following four sections are all poems of children who were in the Terezin concentration camp and the poems move from hope and will to live, to fear, and resignation. The first half of the oratorio concludes with the Sachs poem "We orphans, Oh world, we accuse you!"

After intermission, the chorus Transport tells of forcing Jews into trains, children searching for their parents, arrival at the camp, as told in many voices. Poème Macabre describes the taunting and cruelty of a Kapo in a concentration camp. Gedale's Song speaks of hope for a new beginning in Israel 'where we shall be men among other men."

The last chorus Unite is a fragment of poem found in Terezin, a plea for a bright freedom.

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Ruth Lomon

for chamber orchestra (4 winds, 2 brass, percussion, piano, strings)

ca. 20'00"

Ruth Lomon's Spells was commissioned for the Women's Music Festival/85 by the Massachusetts Chapter of American Women Composers with a New Works Grant from the Massachusetts Council for the Arts and Humanities. The piece was written in the summer of 1985 in New Mexico, where the composer has frequently found inspiration for her music in the Navajo ceremonies and art. Lomon writes: "The piano interacts in dramatic dialogues with varying ensembles from the group, each dialogue having a unique 'spell.' The piano has the dual role of soloist and commentator, threading the seven 'spells' together."

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Ruth Lomon

for orchestra

ca. 10'30"

Terra Incognita is episodic in nature. I would liken Terra Incognita to a narrative of events which take place as we travel through an unknown land. Some of the events are somber, others are lyrical, still others are quite fierce. There is a strong element of parody throughout the piece. The vigorous rhythms and cross rhythms bring us inevitably to a grand finale which sums up the forcces presented earlier on.

In the opening preamble there is a brief violin solo which is a quote from Witold Lutoslawski with whom I studied briefly at Dartington College, England. The quote sets the mood of the parodies to follow, which are, for the most part, in the brass. The quote is intended as a small tribute to an inspired and inspiring composer.

"Engaging and thought provoking on first hearing, Terra Incognita is a work to explore and savor; second and third hearings brought me deeper into the rich vistas of this vast landscape. It is a profound and moving work, and I hope some American orchestras will turn to performing Lomon's music." "Lomon twists small strands of melody into intense melodic arcs and explores sonorous effects such as echoing a chord back and forth across a section." 

- Liane Curtis, IAWM Journal

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Ruth Lomon

for trumpet and orchestra

ca. 16'00"

Composing Odyssey was akin to starting an exciting adventure, a (life-affirming) voyage. The decision to call the trumpet concerto Odyssey came in part from my own inner odyssey in composing this piece, and also ideas which arose while reading about Nikos Kazantzakis' epic poem, The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel. Kazantzakis believes that man must structure his life and work on the "dark Abyss". Life has meaning only when it accepts and rises above the great negation of the Abyss. The two conflicting currents,seeking a synthesis, lead to creative play and affirmation of life.

1. Turning Point: A concerto is a great vehicle for metaphor, a tale with dialogues between our trumpet protagonist and the different sections of the orchestra. The prominent ascending fifths of the trumpet theme and its subsequent development createa broad and expansive mood. In the following movements the interval of the fifth or its inversion continues to be an important element of the trumpet solo.2. Dancing on the Abyss: The middle movement has a perilous and risk-defying dance for the trumpet. The opening theme for the contrabassoon, accompanied by an octave-leaping motif in the bassoon and double bass creates a stark, quirky nervous energy.3. Shifting Currents: An undulating pattern in the low strings ushers in the haunting blues-influenced trumpet theme accompanied by the shifting moods and rhythms of the orchestra.

The concerto was commissioned by the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra for the premiere performance by Charles Schlueter.

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