08 October 2017

The (Near) Future of Henningmusick. And, an Anniversary.

Tue 10 Oct at King’s Chapel, Boston:

Tiny Wild Avocadoes (selections), Op.125a (2016) — première
Neither do I condemn thee, Op.132 (2015)
Kurosawa’s Scarecrow (Memories of Packanack Lake), Op.145 (2017) — première

The k a rl h e nn i ng Ensemble
Carol Epple & Peter H. Bloom, flutes
Pamela Marshall, horn
Karl Henning, clarinet & fixed media

Sun 22 Oct at St Paul’s Episcopal Church, Del Rey Beach, Fla.:

The St Paul’s Choir (Dr Paul Cienniwa, Dir.) sing
Precious Lord, Op.139 № 4 (2016)

Sun 22 Oct at Holy Trinity United Methodist Church, Danvers, Mass.:

The Chancel Choir sing
I Want Jesus to Walk With Me, Op.142 № 9 (2017)

Tue 24 Oct at Stonehill College, Easton, Mass.:

Ensemble Aubade
Oxygen Footprint, Op.138 (2016)

henningmusick: Symphony beginning:
In the perhaps optimistic expectation that life will carry on 9 November and beyond, I have started work on Symphony № 1.
There are layers of optimism here . . . starting a large piece, and hoping to bring it to its completion . . . starting it, with the apparent implication of a № 2 . . . writing a large piece, not knowing if or where it might be brought to an audience . . . &c. &c. &c.
But, over the past couple of days, a musical idea has taken root in my inner ear, and its only practical application is, for orchestra.

One year ago today, after years of kinda thinking “I want to write a symphony” (and, more than one, really), something mysterious-but-crucial clicked, and (a) I felt absolutely ready to write such a piece, and (b) the Symphony was exactly the piece I wanted to write just then.

At the milestone of just one year after the initial conception of the piece, it is utterly premature to “complain” that the piece has not been played yet.

But, yes, I am eager to seek a performance, this I do not deny.

Most importantly to the composer, he is well pleased with the piece, and looks with pride on the fact that this musical achievement looms large in the previous twelve months of musical activity.


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