Concerto for Solo Percussionist and Orchestra

When Michael Bookspan commissioned me for a solo concerto to perform with The Philadelphia Orchestra, two artistic aims came to mind immediately. First, to write a percussion concerto in which the soloist is truly at the gestural-heart of the music: and second, to provide as broad and varied expressive-gestures as possible for both the soloist and the orchestra. Further, because of Bookspan?s subtle sense of line ? a performance-sense in which attacks on discrete percussion instruments are formed into vocal-like melodic shapes ? I was stimulated to attempt to write a work in which the solo percussionist ?sings,? is lyrical and reflective as well as percussive and aggressive. Following the completion of a piano reduction of the orchestral short score, we began work in earnest, working up to a performance with revisions and adjustments in the process. Then full score. Then play-through for Ormandy, helpful suggestions regarding overall structure, balance, certain repetitions. Ormandy also goes through full score, passes on suggestions to Mickey (Bookspan). Bill Smith arranges reading/taping of work with Philadelphia Orchestral Society (difficult to hear score, particularly percussion). On basis of this, final revisions and adjustments were made (articulation, dynamics). Then finally we worked up cadenzas as outgrowths of a finished body. The work evolved out of our work together. Prime thing is Mickey?s incredible line ? his sensitivity with ?schlage-insts.?