MEZZANINE SEAT

WORKS FOR ORCHESTRA

MICHAEL G. CUNNINGHAM

Silhouettes Op. 225

In listening to these nine pieces, the listener is invited to assess or conclude anything he or she wishes.  Anything the listener imagines would be valid and true.  Mental scenarios would of course vary from person to person.  (Individual reactions are an often forgotten aspect of music.)

Clarinet Concerto Op.186

In this work the soloist is accompanied by the non-string instruments of the orchestra.  The clarinet presents its somber lines and utterings against a backdrop of almost bleak harmony.  When sections and passages are fast, accompanimental rhythms can be automaton-like in their repetitiveness.

Symphonette Op. 200

This is a modest-size symphony.  In it there is at times an almost merry tunefulness.  The harmony, certainly in the outer movements, frequently presents a relative contentment and occasional peacefulness.  Rhythms throughout the work are simple and direct.  The final movement, in particular, conveys occasional feelings of triumph and ultimately a joyous closure.

Bach Diadem Op.283

The music of this 18th Century musical genius remains timeless.  To enter into his musical processes is to experience awe and wonder.  In his lifetime he occasionally  rearranged his own scores for other instruments, knowing that it was the relationship of the notes on the staff that mattered, and not whatever instruments were at hand.  Surprisingly very little of Bach’s instrumental music is scored for the traditional orchestra.  And, even then, those scores are arrangements by later musicians.  Here are three additional arrangements that speak for themselves.