Adam Schoenberg
ORCHARD IN FOG
(2017)
RICORDI
This%work%was%commissioned%by%Anne%Akiko%Meyers
Instrumentation
2!Flutes
1!Oboe
1!English!Horn
2!Clarinets!in!Bb! 2!Bassoons
2!Horns!in!F! 2!Trumpets!in!C! 1!Trombone
1!Bass!Trombone
Timpani
Percussion!1:!Anvils,!Crotales,!Tubular!Bells,!Drum!Set:
Percussion!2:!Glockenspiel,!Crotales,!Vibraphone,!Marimba,!High!Metal!Sounds! (player’s!discretion)!with!Music!Wands*, Crash!Cymbals,!Suspended!Cymbal,!Triangle
Harp
Piano
Solo!Violin**
Violin!I
Violin!II
Viola
Cello Double!Bass
*Music!Wands!can!be!found!at!http://www.musicwands.com!or! https://musiciselementary.com/product/musicRwand/!
**Solo!violin!should!be!amplified!ca.!5R10%!(not!to!be!adjusted!during!performance)!to!create!an!ethereal!sonic!experience.! Amplification!should!barely!hover!above!orchestra,!making!sure!audience!is!unaware!of!the!amplification.!
©CopyrightbySchoenbergMusic. Represented WorldwidebyUMPG
Transposed*Score
Duration:!ca.!22 minutes
World!premiere:!February!10,!2018!by!the!San!Diego!Symphony,!Sameer!Patel!conducting, at!Copley!Symphony!Hall,!San!Diego,!CA
© 2017 by Schoenberg Music- Represented Worldwide by Universal Music Publishing Classical. International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of the law. RICL 378
Program*Note*
Orchard%in%Fog%takes!its!name!from!a!photograph!by!Adam!Laipson of!an!apple!orchard!in!winter.!This! particular!orchard happens!to!be!the!same!place!where!my!wife!and!I!were!married!in!my!hometown!of!New! Salem,!MA. Adam!was!generous!enough!to!give us!the!photograph as!a!wedding!gift,!and!it!hangs!in!our! bedroom.!I’ve!been!waking!up!to!this!beautiful,!haunting image!every!day!for!the!past!six!years,!and!I!am! continually!drawn!to!it.!When!Anne!Akiko!Meyers!asked!me!to!write!her!a!violin!concerto, a!narrative! inspired!by!this image!and!place!immediately!came!to!mind:
Orchard%in%Fog tells!the!story!of!an!aging man!visiting!the!orchard!where!he!was!once!married many!years! ago.!It!is!the!dead!of!winter,!and!he!is!now!weak!and!tired,!and!nearing!the!end!of!his!life.!The!first! movement!(Frail)!is!reflective,!and!represents!the!present!day.!It!features!a!series!of!melodies!that are!more! melancholic!than!hopeful.!The!violin!uses!a!scordatura!tuning!(in!this!instance,!the!G!string!is!tuned!down!to! F!for!the!duration!of!the!concerto),!and!focus!is!not!only!given!to!the!low!F,!but!also!the!uppermost register! of!the!E!string!(which!is!the!highest!string!on!the!violin).!The!first!movement!is!11 minutes.
Movement!II!(Dancing)!is!a!memory.!It!captures!the!old!man looking!back!on!his!life!and!all!of!the!beautiful,! youthful moments he!had!with!his!wife.!The!movement!is!essentially!one!long!dance!that!is!built!on!a! layering!technique,!where!something!new!happens!nearly!every!eight!measures.!It!also!features!the!solo! violin more!as!a!member!of!the!first!violins!than!as!traditional!soloist.!This!5 minute!movement!ends!with!a! coda!that!has!all!of!the!strings!playing!together!in!an!unpredictable!rhythm.!
Movement!III!(Farewell%Song)!gradually!brings us!back to!the!present day,!and!to!the!orchard!where!the!old! man’s journey first!began.!This!is!his!farewell!song!to!his!love,!and!to!the life!that he!has!known.!It!is!now! time for!him!to!leave!everything!behind!and!move!into!the!unknown.!It!once!again!takes!advantage!of!the! now!G string!tuned!down!to!F,!as!the!entire!movement!is!in!the!key!of!F.!Whereas!movement!I!was!more! somber!in!tone,!this!movement!gives!us!a!glimmer!of!hope!and!acceptance.!
©CopyrightbySchoenbergMusic. Represented WorldwidebyUMPG
Adam!Schoenberg! December!15,!2017
Orchard!in!Fog.!A!New!Salem!Preserves!in!New!Salem,!MA.!An!heirloom!apple!orchard!on!125!acres!overlooking!the!Quabbin! Reservoir!in!western!Massachusetts.!
COPYRIGHT:©Adam!Laipson!
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©CopyrightbySchoenbergMusic. Represented
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Staggered'breathing'with'Hn.'2
Staggered'breathing'with'Hn.'1
Staggered'breathing'with'Tpt.'2
Staggered'breathing'with'Tpt.'1
Staggered'breathing'with'B.'Tbn.
Staggered'breathing'with'Tbn.
Strike'F4'crotale'on'=mpani'and'improvise' pedal'gliss'un=l'sound'has'completely'faded.
