Four Are in the River (2011)
Originally scored for soprano voice and string quartet; for that version - including program details and score excerpts - go here. Professional level, 4 songs (I. The Woman Says, II. The Man Says, III. The Animal Says, IV. The Plant Says) and an instrumental postlude (V. The River), totalling about 25 minutes. In these settings of Sarah Blackman’s poems I have made a straightforward attempt to underscore the character of each organism of the title and its relationship with her/his/its environment. The River binds them all together dramatically and musically. $25 for score, parts, demo; order here.
Owing to a last-minute emergency, there is an alternate way to perform this work - as a chamber concerto, with the soprano part performed instrumentally. The soprano who was to perform the premiere of Four Are in the River was forced to withdraw due to illness the day before the performance. It was resolved that the best way to rescue the concert — on which two other works were programmed — was to have the voice part performed on viola (John Ravnan to the rescue! What a great piece of musicianship!). This was so well received that I sanction this as a valid alternate mode of performance. Parts for instrumental performance of the vocal part can be provided for violin or viola, as well as transposed parts for Clarinet in Bb, English Horn in F, or Alto Sax in Eb. The use of any of these is encouraged. Phrase markings are included in these solo parts which are not included in the voice part in movements I-IV of the score. (These markings should not be construed as bowings in the event that violin or viola is used as the solo instrument.)
When performing the work in this manner, the poems should be recited — including titles — each before their respective movements; this can be done by the soloist or, if preferred, a designated reader. The movements are then performed in the normal manner wit the soloist (and the violins and viola in mvt. IV) intoning the titles of the poems exactly as notated.