MP3 Threads: Music of Carson P. Cooman - CLASSICAL: Contemporary

Contemporary classical music for orchestra

15 MP3 Songs
CLASSICAL: Contemporary, CLASSICAL: Orchestral



Details:
"Threads: Concerto for Orchestra" (2003) was commissioned by the Harvard Club of Rochester. The first movement, Intrada-Chorale, is driving -- exploring the melodic and harmonic potential of a simple motive that opens the movement. The second movement, Nocturne (Beacon Hill at Night) was inspired by walks after the rain in the historic Beacon Hill district of Boston, MA. The movement features a solo cello amidst a hushed tapestry. The third movement, Patterns, is energetic and constructed from a series of patterns which appear, are repeated, and sometimes overlap. (MMB Music, Inc.)

"Plainsong Variations" (1999) was written for and is dedicated to cellist Craig Hultgren, and was inspired by his playing and musicianship. It is a single movement set of free variations on an original plainsong-style melody with a Latin text based on Isaiah 40:11. (MMB Music, Inc.)

"Zest: Fanfare for Orchestra" (2001) was commissioned by The Fanfare Project and is dedicated to the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. It is a brief and traditional fanfare that takes its title as the inspiration. (MMB Music, Inc.)

"Sonata for Brass Choir" (1999) was written for Michael Stewart and the Chicago Brass Choir. The first movement, Fanfare and Tuckets, contains typical brass fanfare elements -- with a few harmonic surprises. The second movement, Arioso, is characterized throughout by a descending ostinato figuration in the horns and trombones. The third movement, Dance, contains elements of the "furiant" (a dance form consisting of alternating bars of 3/4 and 3/8 meter). (Oriana Publications, Ltd.)

"Beyond All Knowing" (2003) for chamber orchestra was commissioned by Richard Mason and is dedicated to Matthew Burt. The work is mystical in conception, exploring the nature of the cosmos and our human notions of the divine nature by acknowledging that these are things far beyond mere human knowledge. It is a piece that attempts to create a "sacred space." The musical language of the work centers around the purity of the intervals of perfect 4ths and 5ths. (MMB Music, Inc.)

"Night Songs" (1999) was commissioned by the Hogwood Fund for St. Michael's Chamber Orchestra. The work is cast in three brief movements which move from dusk, through the night, and end with morning sunrise. The opening movement, Island Gloaming, presents a harmonic tapestry in the strings over which the winds and brass unfold a series of melodies derived from each other. "Gloaming" is an old word for "twilight" or "dusk." The island of the title is Nantucket Island, MA. The second movement, Midnight Enchantments, is a spirited and driving "romp." It is invisioned as an enchanted dance in the darkness of the middle of the night. The final movement, Sunrise, presents the coming of the dawn and the morning sunrise. The movement contains very brief quotations from traditional American hymns which appear and interact with the other material. (MMB Music, Inc.)

"Symphony of Light" (2003) was commissioned by Richard Mason and the Broeker Fund for New Music. The first movement, Winter Brightnesses, is dedicated to Mary Louise Bringle. The inspiration for this movement is from the coming dawn on a calm winter day, where the gathering light glistens off fallen snow as the sun slowly rises. The second movement, Eternity Canticle: First Light, is dedicated to Kirk Trevor. The movement was inspired by a passage from the Bible, Ecclesiastes 3:11. The entire movement is based on transformations of the opening freely-flowing melody. The third movement, Dawning, is dedicated to Marisa Green and was inspired by the vibrancy of a bright summer morning. This brings the symphony to a conclusion full of light and energy. (MMB Music, Inc.)


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Carson Cooman is an American composer who has written over 500 works in all forms ranging from opera to solo instrumental and from orchestral music to hymn tunes. He is in continual demand for new commissions, and his music has and continues to be performed on all six inhabited continents. His music is published primarily by MMB Music, Inc. As an active performing organist, Cooman has specialized exclusively in the performance of new music, having given world premieres of over 120 new works written for him by contemporary composers. Full information is available at his website: www.carsoncooman.com