Category Orchestral Works

Mozart Escapes

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

Don’t Tread On Me

For string orchestra

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.

in Compositions / Orchestral Works / String Quartet / Symphonic Music

Gabriel

Concert Overture for Orchestra

The story of the angel Gabriel, rendered with emotional intensity in this concert overture for orchestra, evokes a glimmering celebration of three angelic events.

As messenger from God, Gabriel told Mary she would be the mother of Jesus, sparking Christianity
As messenger from God, he gave the Quran to the Prophet Mohammed, sparking Islam
When the world ends, Gabriel will be playing his horn for us, one last time

This music traces these three moods for the angel: lyric, dramatic, and apocalyptic. Your audience feels the beating of angelic wings, soaring and gliding, while the score calls upon the trumpet to be the airborne voice of love, struggle, and obliteration.

Originally the first movement of a trumpet concerto commissioned in 1988 by Doc Severinsen and the Phoenix and North Carolina Symphonies, The first movement was given a “second life” as Gabriel, through the Nashville Symphony’s American Encore Series.

– duration: 6′

– (1997)

3(3rd db. picc.)/2+E.h./2+E-flat/2+cbn. – 4/3/3/1
timp. – 3 perc. – strings

in Compositions / Orchestral Works / Symphonic Music

Peace Overture

Russell Peck’s programmatic tone poem about the struggle for peace. A musical tribute to all the people who have struggled against conflict itself toward a just and lasting peace for all of us.- commissioned by the Birmingham International Festival.

Recorded by the London Symphony.

Adagio

Allegro

Ending