Welcome to my blog

I have created this site in order to provide performers, listeners and composers with a description of a composer's experiences with the creative process. The posts will provide discussions of the inspirations, challenges, and successes of a composer from the inception of the piece to the culmination in performance. I will provide a link to where you can see and hear the works in progress. Comments and questions are always welcomed. They will not posted unless you grant me permission.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Premiere of "Legacy" 2/16/08

Last night was the premiere of my composition "Legacy" by the Washington Sinfonietta, Rufus Jones, Musical Director and Conductor. The premiere was both exhilarating and disappointing. The Washington Sinfonietta is a very fine non-paid orchestra in the DC area. I was very impressed with the quality of the musicianship and the overall sound of the orchestra. It was thrill to have them do "Legacy" and most of came off very well and was well received (standing ovation). My disappointed stems from the fact that all the intricate parts were not always in the right place. Every note of my music has a purpose and when some things are not where they should be, I feel like there are gaps in the overall presentation. I realize that it is very difficult to pull a brand new piece together on 4 or 5 rehearsals. I am pleased with what the orchestra accomplished. But I couldn't help feeling that it could have been even better if they had more time with the piece and knew it better. Some things that worked during the dress rehearsal didn't work in the performance. I imagine nerves of having the composer present contributed.

So this is an example of what I think all composers face. Having high artistic standards is a given for performers and composers. The reality of rehearsal time restrictions and performance pressures create a sense of disappointment when those high artistic goals are not quite achieved. The months of creating the piece and the year of anticipation for that performance are now in the past. Now the task lays before me of finding future performances for what I consider is my best composition to date. Both the rehearsal and concert where recorded and once I get the recordings, I hope to be able put together a decent demo recording in order to entice other orchestras to do the piece.

My sincere thanks goes to the members and conductor of the Washington Sinfonietta for their premiere of my composition. I enjoyed working with them and I hope the opportunity to work together will occur again soon.

Dr. B.

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