Daniel Dorff - Invention On Mozart's 11 Tone Surprise

Performed by flutist Tabatha Easley and pianist Catherine H. Garner, the pieces all written in the early 2000's are by American composers.

Trees (after the poem by Joyce Kilmer) by Daniel Dorff

Tightrope Walker is my first piece for full orchestra. Given the large forces available to me, I wanted to write something exciting, colorful and visceral. I remembered back to when I was a kid going to see Cirque du Soleil. That trip made a big impression on me, especially the high wire performers. These were artists performing super-human feats 100 feet in the air, where even the slightest mistake guaranteed a fatal ending. Tightrope Walker is a musical depiction of that special event.

The opening of the piece hints at what's to come - a steady, walking pulse interrupted by missteps in the woodwinds. These missteps increase until the entire orchestra comes crashing down - not a good sign for our Tightrope Walker. The tempo slows and the atmosphere becomes tense. The primary themes of the piece are presented in fragments, most notably the beginning of the Tightrope Walker's theme in the horns. The orchestra gradually recovers from the previous fall, becoming more lively and coherent until the original, faster tempo is restored.

We are now at the circus, excited and expectant, and the fragmentary themes heard previously are now presented in their full forms. The anticipation builds until we hear a solo drum roll - the main act is about to begin. The second half of the piece depicts the Tightrope Walker performing for his audience. But from the outset, as in the beginning of the piece, we hear there are problems. The pressure mounts, the audience clamoring for more, until Tightrope Walker comes to a decisive and potentially fatal end.

Tightrope Walker for Orchestra

Prof. Anthony Costa conducts the Penn State Clarinet Choir, live in concert (November 2024), in Daniel Dorff's SLIPPERY SLOPES

Daniel Dorff: SLIPPERY SLOPES for Clarinet Choir

A virtuosic duet for flute and clarinet with a primitive, dance-like character. The full ranges of the instruments are called upon, and the performers must navigate passages of tightly-woven imitation, which give the music its playful and elusive atmosphere. 

Jubal is one of the three sons of Lamech named in the genealogy of Cain at the end of Genesis chapter four. His brother is Jabal, "the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock," and his half-brother Tubal-Cain is called, "the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron." Jubal himself is said to be "the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe." This is the first mention of music or musicians in the Bible. Given the work's primal air, and the fact that the content of the music is derived so immediately from the instruments themselves, it seemed fitting to title the piece in homage to their first maker. 

Jubal's Pipes (flute and clarinet duet)

Rameau's Prelude from the First Book of Harpsichord Pieces transcribed for solo clarinet or bass clarinet by John Romano (2002). Live recording (and corresponding lackluster recording quality) by John Romano. 
Get the sheet music at www.johnromanomusic.com

2 Nov 2003 - SU

Rameau - Prelude (1st Book of Harpsichord Pieces)

Beginning of first movement of Daniel Dorff's clarinet concerto "Summer Solstice"
Performed Live by Sean Osborn and Philharmonia Northwest, Roupen Shakarian, conductor.

Dorff "Summer Solstice" - I. (beginning)

Daniel Dorff - Flowers of St. Francis - I. The Flowers, Celebrated by St. Francis

Daniel Dorff - Flowers of St. Francis - III. St. Francis Pacifying the Wolf

NFA Recording Sessions 2017

Daniel Dorff — Sonata (Three Lakes) for Flute and Piano III: Salmon Lake

Music by the American composer Daniel Dorff

www.danieldorff.com