String Quartet (shares themes with Playing with Style)
Don’t Tread On Me begins in a formal Mozart-ian way, but quickly develops
its true rock n’ roll character with bluesy swinging style. Special feroce
string crossings give this piece its insistent, pulsing energy. The
rhythms are straightforward and everything is idiomatic, making this piece
sound more difficult to play than it is. The easy-going American feel of
this piece, as well as its short, but sweet length, makes it a nice inclusion
on many programs.
duration: 3’30”
(1995)
Don’t Tread On Me is Movement I of the 3-Movement string orchestra piece
Signs of Life II, and is also available for string quartet.
“A stunning all-American blend of Broadway, chimes, brass band and the National Anthem, showcasing every part of the orchestra in three minutes time.” The Evansville Courier
Duration 3 minutes
(1995)
2+picc./2/2+b.cl./2 4/3/3/1 timp. 2 perc. strings
[Bass clar. is optional; cues are provided in other parts.
Immensely entertaining, “Jack
and Jill” combines an action-packed
story of American history and idealism with music
irresistible to young people. It is especially appropriate
for programs on American music, storytelling in music,
and family 4th of July concerts. For fun and musical
excitement, this piece is hard to beat. It has been
performed by the Buffalo, Dallas, and Detroit Symphonies,
and many other American orchestras from the Anchorage
Symphony to the Florida Philharmonic.
Russell has composed a variety of narrated pieces appropriate for a broad range of ages. These works have been performed throughout the United States, Canada, and in Europe and Asia.
“gusto
and flair . . . enthusiasm soars at children’s concert” Grand Rapids Press
“the
Milwaukee Symphony soared . . . snippets of blues
. . . brass passages reminiscent of Motown . . . all
integrated within a more classically derived framework” Milwaukee Journal
“joy
rings out at children’s concert . . . Peck left the
stage to cheers of a standing ovation” New Orleans Time Picayune
[The
full-size orchestra may be reduced by the omission
of any or all of the following instruments: fl. II,
E.h., b.cl., cbn., tpt. III, harp. Cues for these
instruments are provided in other parts.]
A
chamber orchestra version (using different score &
parts) has instrumentation as follows:
1+picc./2/2/2
2/2/1/1 (tuba is optional)
timp. 1 perc. (incl. drum set) opt.
harp strings
narrator
IntroductionBattle/Declaration of IndependenceLiberty Bell
This concerto for three percussionists has been performed across America – by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati and Indianapolis Symphonies and many others. The opening is a paraphrase of the composer’s Lift-Off for percussion, reviewed by the N.Y. Times as “the hit of the evening . . . smashingly propulsive.”
The Smashingly Propulsive opening drum cadenza
The entertaining spectacle of performance by interwoven percussionists makes this piece ideal for video productions, and performances have been broadcast nationwide-The West Virginia video production won first prize in the prestigious Houston International Video Competition in the live music category.
Signs of Life II (formerly Signs of Life) for string orchestra is rich with engaging rhythms and gorgeous melodic lines. Movement I is a spirited Allegro which grabs attention with it’s persistent rhythm and clear nod to Americana. Movement II is an Arioso, heart-stopping in its melancholy beauty. Movement III displays amazing energy and exhilaration.
The Los Angeles Times said that Signs of Life II is “filled with all manner of string techniques applied in imaginative ways. The piece is so engaging as to make one wish to hear it again, and soon.”
“fresh, accessible, well-written music” Grand Rapids Press
“an inventive piece of music” Salt Lake Tribune
“the rare ability to entice listeners without writing down to them…deftly scored…invigorating and deserving of repeated hearings.” Detroit Free Press
Orchestras around the world agree. The complete work and various movements have had hundreds of performances by orchestras across the United States, and in Brazil, Canada, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Norway and Romania.
Signs of Life II was originally Signs of Life, a two movement piece, Arioso (6′) and Scherzo (6′).
Signs of Life II added the Allegro first movement (3’30”) to create the three-movement work.
total duration: 15’30”
(1983/1986)
full symphony strings or reduced to minimum of 3,3,2,2,1
Lift-Off! for percussion trio (or multiples of three)
Lift-Off! was written in 1968, and like the music itself, has gained momentum ever since! It carries the listener on a cathartic, pulsing journey of percussion brilliance.
7′ 30″
“the hit of the evening … smashingly propulsive”
New York Times
To purchase this contact:
Steve Weiss Music (215) 659-0100
Eble Music Co. (319) 338-0313 www.eble.com
Written in 1976, Drastic Measures endures as a classic in the genre. Deeply bluesy and rich with soul, this work has enjoyed continued performances.
Russell Peck’s Composition Notes:
“During my brief university teaching career I came into contact with excellent saxophonists at Northern Illinois University who had a quartet and wanted a piece from me. That’s how I came to write Drastic Measures in 1976. A year later I went to the School of the Arts in North Carolina where James Houlik had a great saxophone studio and a wonderful student quartet that became the New Century Saxophone Quartet. I touched up the piece for them and that became its final form.”
“The first movement is slow, lyrical and polyphonic, highlighting the serious capabilities of the ensemble. The virtuosic second movement is more blues, jazz, and rock-oriented, and highly energized, even including slap-tongue accents. It’s also rhythmically complex. What maintains the classical integrity of the piece despite the popular flavor in the second movement is its tight formal coherence. A three note motive heard as an accompaniment figure at the very opening of the first movement becomes the basis for the whole piece, reaching several climactic expressions in the second movement.”
9′
45″
To
purchase this contact:
Eble Music Co. (319) 338-0313 www.eble.com
Dorn Publications (508) 359-1015
According to the composer, Cave was written with the interest of merging wind ensemble performance with theatricality. Like exploring the depths of a cave, the music develops with “…a classic buildup over a drum ostinato, where the winds ride in 4/4 time over a 3/4 beat like a human pulse.
From the prose poem by the composer, “The rock walls ring to one unchanging pulse,
upon which all the Cave dwellers build their spontaneous symphonies.”
Commissioned in 1976 by the Northern Illinois University
Wind Ensemble, Larry Livingston, Conductor, Cave contains
options for theatrical presentation. Since its premiere
performance the work (also known as Cave of the Winds)
has been performed throughout the United States and
in other countries.
duration: 6′ 30′
score and parts
available through music stores, including:
Eble Music 319-338-0313 www.eble.com
Shattinger Music 314-621-2408
I. Allegro maestoso (Revolutionary Brass) 4’30”
II. Andante cantabile (Amadeus Meets Stradivarius 7’00”
III. Allegretto scherzando (Woodwinds a la Wolfgang) 5’00”
IV. Allegro vivace (Mallets and Mozart) 6’00”
In this unusual concerto for orchestra each movement is based on a famous Mozart piano sonata movement scored for full orchestra, with emphasis on one of the instrumental families. It explores the adaptability of W.A. Mozart’s great piano compositions to varied scoring using all the resources of the modern orchestra.
“equal measures of wit and serenity . . . a worthy addition to the repertory”
Greenville News
total duration: 22′ 30″
(1997)
LISTEN to audio samples
2+picc./2/2/2+cbn. 4/3/3/1
timp. 3 perc. strings
