Dripples

Chant of the machines für Kammerensemble und Live-Elektronik
Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, Ensemble Differance, Norbert Kleinschmidt
www.frank-zabel.de

Frank Zabel: Chant Of The Machines für Kammerensemble und Live-Elektronik

Michael Schelle
THROUGH THE BRIGHT LIGHTS OF HELL (2013)
for new music ensemble vs. chamber orchestra

Commissioned for the Hartford New Music Festival 1913/2013
Hartford Chamber Orchestra and The Generous Ensemble

17 & 20 October 2013
Daniel D'Addio, conductor
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Through the Bright Lights of Hell (2013) is an anxious and suspicious “crossing over” into an unknowable landscape. It’s an odyssey into the fabled bright lights recounted by those who have stood at the threshold of death. I’ve written “heavenly” passages, “hellish” passages, and “traveling” passages, but suspect that distinguishing one from another might be a very subjective exercise for the audience: Are the tonal parts Heaven or Hell or something else? Does it matter? Enjoy the ride! An early stab at titling the piece had “_____________” (a blank to be filled in), before the word “Through,” suggesting that each listener might supply his or her own verbs, such as: Running, Escaping, Dancing, Blasting, Skipping, Stumbling, Breaking, Sleeping, Tripping, Coughing, Crashing, Laughing, Crying, Bleeding, Screaming … Through the Bright Lights of Hell.

Through the Bright Lights of Hell was commissioned for the combined forces of the Generous New Music Ensemble and the (vs. the) Hartford Independent Chamber Orchestra in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Stravinsky’s landmark The Rite of Spring.  Although the volatile, confrontational and episodic nature of Through the Bright Lights of Hell is influenced and inspired by that iconic Stravinsky work, there are no direct references to The Rite or, for that matter, to any other of the groundbreaking works of the time (from Debussy or Ives or anyone else). There is, however, a brief passing nod to a different kind of 1913 classic, the popular American torch song The Curse of an Aching Heart (which is heard in multiple simultaneous keys near the end of this piece), but the ‘aching heart’ 'seeds' are planted across the entire 28:00 work. Throughout “Bright Lights of Hell” there are also embedded extremely brief, fractured glances at pieces from 1813, 1713, and 1613.

In this time of academic fascination with compositional mathematics, allow me to say, Through the Bright Lights of Hell is 28 minutes in duration, and its structure involves (approximately) four major seven-minute connecting sections. (4 x 7 = 28.) Still juggling numbers, the numbers 13 and 7 to be exact: Samuel Beckett was seven years old in 1913. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 dates from 1813.  J. S. Bach wrote much of his landmark “The Well-Tempered Clavier” in 1713. And the great Italian composer-performer Giuseppe Tartini dreamed that the devil appeared to him in 1713 and played his violin (or so goes the tale of Tartini’s Violin Sonata in G minor, a.k.a. the Devil’s Trill Sonata). If this sounds like doubletalk, keep in mind that Richard Nixon was born in 1913.

Most of the work on this piece was abstractly inspired by Samuel Beckett, and dedicated to one of his biggest fans, composer Scott Comanzo, director of the 1913/2013 Hartford New Music Festival. 


Although occasionally improvisatory in sound, the entire score is specifically, exactly - and painstakingly - thoroughly notated from start to finish.

Michael Schelle's website:  http://schellemusic.com/1.html


THROUGH THE BRIGHT LIGHTS OF HELL (2013)

Woodsmithery (2023) for Concert Band by Coleman Rowlett

Copyright 2023 Coleman Rowlett. All Rights Reserved.

Woodsmithery

Michael Schelle

FEAR STRIKES OUT (2015), for trombone and wind ensemble

Millikin University (IL) Symphonic Wind Ensemble
Mark Babbitt, trombone
Gary Shaw, conductor

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMuKNXVENq0&list=PLbnlz2uecZDNvdfPDDsnv-Pww0KUdov1J&index=1

Schelle website:   www.schellemusic.com

FEAR STRIKES OUT (2015)

XANADU was commissioned by The Florida State University College of Music for the grand reopening of the Ruby Diamond Concert Hall and the 100th anniversary of the College of Music. XANADU is a work inspired by the 80’s, the era in which the composer attended Florida State University as an undergraduate performance and composition major. Like this composition, the 80’s movie with the same title is inspired by the poem Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The poem was an opium-influenced dream describing a stately palace. This work is influenced by 80’s hip-hop culture, TV themes and other pop culture music of the late 70’s-80’s. The first three notes of the 80’s song Xanadu play an important thematic role in the work. This work also has an optional Turntablist (DJ record scratching) part for the percussion.

XANADU (Wind Ensemvle Level 6)

Submarinul Iertat (Forgiven Submarine)
a tone-poem based on poetry by Andrei Codrescu & Ruxandra Cesereanu

Performed by Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra; Ben Manis, conductor

Nov 30, 2018

Submarinul Iertat (Forgiven Submarine)- for large orchestra

Komorebi: tree escape light_ii_Earth bed _Sasaki_Premiere_Music By Women Festival

El Puente (2015)

- for bassoon and piano

Lia Uribe, bassoon
Miroslava Panayotova, piano

www.sasakimusic.com

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Miho Sasaki : El Puente

Piano Quintet Movement III

Miho Sasaki 

Swirling Spheres (2021)

for the Thomas Piercy Quintet
Premiere:  NYC 31 March 2021

www.sasakimusic.com

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THROUGH THE BRIGHT LIGHTS OF HELL (2013)

Michael Schelle

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