Linda Dusman

for orchestra

ca. 11'15"

What Remains constitutes the second piece in a series of works embodying the concept of pis aller—“paths of last resort,” for me a fitting metaphor for our time of great immigrations, political extremes, and sudden local disruptive violence. What Remains explores specifically the human trait of obsession that often drives individuals to this final recourse, and that path’s potential for leading toward both great good and great evil.

What remains at its end? The air we breathe, the lives that air enables, our shared potential for good, and the possibility of an arrival at that end, rather than its opposite. What Remains stands as a reminder of humanity’s collective responsibility to walk a path away from obsessive violence and ugliness toward intentional peace and beauty.

The recording heard when viewing the score was recorded by the John Hopkins Symphony conducted by Jay Gaylin. 

Click here to view the score.

Sofia Kamayianni

for youth symphony orchestra

ca. 3'00"

This piece was premiered in 2015 by the UMBC Symphony under the direction of E. Michael Richards, and the video recording is linked below.

Click here to view the score.

Click here to view a performance (YouTube).

Sofia Kamayianni

for string orchestra

ca. 4'15"

1. The Dance of Fifinella

2. Volat

3. Far Away

(NOTE: to be performed separately, or together in this order)

These  three pieces for string orchestra were written at the same time. The commission by ERT (Greek National Radio) in 2003 was to write short (~3minutes long) pieces which did not have to have a relation to each other, so that they could be played separately. However, this would not prevent a composer to connect them in one piece with several movements. I  composed 3 completely  different pieces to each other. However, they could be played as one piece, too. First one, “The dance of Fifinella” was derived from an older music that I had done for a series of fairy-tales. Second one, “Volat” is a made-up word with no meaning in any language. Third one, “Far away” has to do with something that is not very clear and comes from a distance, could be an esoteric memory, a forgotten sense, an external real sound. In a state of a silence mood or place, this “far away” tries to reveal itself.

Click here to view the score.

Sofia Kamayianni

for string Orchestra and children's choir

ca. 5'30"

Click here to view the score.

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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 approacah and pass by a stationary object.

Click here to view the score.

The performers in the recording are unknown.

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."

Click here to view the score.

The performers in this recording are currently unknown.

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

Click here to view the score.

 The performers in this recording are currently unknown. 

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 CurrentsAn 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.

Click here to view the score.

Anna Rubin

for orchestra and optional fixed media

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Eleanor Hovda

for chamber orchestra

ca. 13'45"

This piece was commissioned by the Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra.

Click here to view the score.

Click here to listen to the recording by the Prism Players on the Eleanor Hovda Collection CD. (Spotify)

Lois V Vierk

for orchestra

This piece was inspired by the twisted sandstone canyon in the southern California high desert in Angeles National Park called "Devil's Punchbowl". At this exquisite site you are always aware of both extreme beauty and also danger. Descending into the canyon the trail is rugged, rocky, and treacherous, and the head is scorching. But rising up from the deep gorge are steep, magnificent mountains with their cold streams and sweet smelling pine trees. The vistas are grand. Far in the distance, soft shapes and hues of the landscape melt into one another. 

Devil's Punchbowl unfolds slowly. Musical materials are constantly developed, pushing the work forward from a relatively simple beginning to its dynamic and colorful climax. The piece opens with languorous brass slides downward. String phrases answer the brass, and woodwinds add color and wisps of melody. Gradually the strings begin their long ascending glissando, sweeping the woodwinds up to their highest register, ending the first section.

Immediately strings and low woodwinds enter with agitated multi-color, ever-changing trills and tremolos. Various instruments combine to form sinewy melodic shapes which creep slowly upward. Percussion becomes more pronounced. Brass adds rhythm and harmony. Each phrase builds on the one before as, little by little, the music becomes faster, louder, and rhythmically emphatic. Trombones and celli playing fortissimo glissandi in the lowest register propel the piece to its full orchestral climax. After the high energy of the climax the music returns briefly to the lyrical mood of the opening, ending gently. 

Devil's Punchbowl was commissioned by the Bang On A Can Festival and the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. The commissioning of this work was made possible by a grant fro the Meet The Composer/Reader's Digest Commissioning Program, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund. 

The recording of Devil's Punchbowl is of the premiere, given by Victoria Bond conducting the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra on March 21, 1994. They performed the piece beautifully. 

Below are two versions of the score. First is the final version, incorporating several sets of edits to the orchestration made after the premiere and over subsequent years, and which is dated 2009. The major changes to orchestration, emphasizing an expanded role for trombones, etc., are marked above the staves of the score. 

The second is the original score as used by Victoria Bond in 1994 (with numerous indications marked for my first set of edits).

Click here to view the revised score.

Click here to view the original score.