ABCs

Commissioned by the Louisville Orchestra September 2021. This recording is of the University of Louisville Symphony Orchestra from February 2022.

This piece is a reaction to the text “American Dream” by Tytianna Wells. In her poem, Wells addresses many inequities and injustices black people face in America, the perpetuation of these ideas, and the necessary action to confront them. The text carries emotions ranging from frustration, disappointment, jaded exhaustion, to cautious optimism. My piece does not try to recreate Tytianna’s text line for line but instead creates spaces in which this array of emotion can be expressed, experienced, and reflected upon. 

The piece begins with a melancholic line played by the violas and various winds. As the piece progresses, other voices begin to join and overwhelm the opening line. This culminates in a great release of energy and a brief moment of repose before the piece lurches forward into an aggressive finale. The line from the opening of the piece is presented in full force and with renewed vigor by the horn section against a scathing snare drum solo. 

As a person of mixed-race (my father is black and my mother is white) this subject is particularly important to me and manifests in various ways at the core of my other work. Many thanks to Tytianna for her powerful work and to the Louisville Orchestra for this opportunity.

UofL Symphony Orchestra

"...do you really wanna know?..." (2021)

ensemble: chamber orchestra (1[picc].1.1.1-2.1.1.0-2perc-strings)
duration: 10 minutes
written: fall 2019 - winter 2020
commissioned by: Durham Symphony Orchestra
premiere: April 10th, 2022; Durham, NC

more info: http://www.robertrankinmusic.com/no-name-in-the-street

Program Note:

       Reap they the field that is none of theirs, strip they the vineyard wrongfully seized from its owner. 
                           - Job 26:4

       As a life long resident of the Raleigh-Durham NC area, I was shocked that I had never heard about the history of Durham’s Hayti District. Founded as an independent black community after the Civil War, the Hayti District operated libraries, hotels, theaters, and a hospital becoming one of, if not the first, fully self-sufficient African-American community in the United States. Hayti continued to prosper throughout the 20th century until the 1950s with the urban revitalization of Durham which constructed the Durham Freeway directly down the middle of Hayti, splitting it in two. 
	
	My work, No Name In The Street, borrows its title from James Baldwin and is, in essence, about the history of Hayti. The piece begins with a long melodic solo line in the strings (based upon spelling the word HAYTI into musical pitches). This “Hayti theme” grows and fleshes out into a broad, sweeping statement. This moment is slowly taken over by the brass and winds which begin to distort and obscure the theme. The theme, now abstracted by the winds and brass, only occasionally can be heard. The piece reaches a great climax and is abruptly cut off.  The “Hayti theme” is now heard in its most clear and intimate form played by a solo string quintet. Slowly, over time, the theme begins to get erased by the orchestra, note by note, until one solo viola is left trying to sing out.

	No Name In The Street is, more broadly, about the erasure of history and communities and the importance of keeping the past alive even when forces greater than us attempt to eliminate them. 

WUNC, the local NPR station in the Raleigh-Durham area in North Carolina, published a magnificent investigation into the housing crisis: https://wunc915.atavist.com/where-we-live

No Name In The Street: for chamber orchestra (excerpts)

Remastered version of Canzonetta and Scherzo, which written for the 2014 Bowdoin International Music Festival. Performed by Cathryn Gaylord, bassoon.

Based on the form used in Debussy's "Syrinx", the Canzonetta is a lyrical movement written using only four intervals: the minor second, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, and major sixth. In free form, its lilting gestures pay homage to the songful nature of single line instrumentation. The Scherzo is a short contrasting music using the same intervals, but with a more Shostakovich-esque caustic playfulness. 

Canzonetta and Scherzo for Solo Bassoon (remastered)

Commissioned and premiered by Doug Martin and the Langley High School Band Association as part of the school's 50th year celebration.   I haven't written for a high school group since, well, high school.  My music isn't easy to play, but this is an amazing performance by an excellent ensemble with a very talented conductor.  

Eternity's Sunrise (2015)- Langley HS Wind Symphony

Harrison Birtwistle - Earth Dances.  Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Pierre Boulez, conductor.  Live performance September 16, 2004

BIRTWISTLE - EARTH DANCES - LUCERNE FESTIVAL, BOULEZ 2004-09-16

Preview premiere performance of my work for wind ensemble + electronics. UNCG Wind Ensemble, Kevin Geraldi, conductor. Oct. 9th, 2012, Aycock Auditorium, Greensboro, NC.

PDF Perusal score: http://stevenbryant.com/solace.php

Solace (UNCG 2012-10-09)

CARTER - SYMPHONY OF THREE ORCHESTRAS - 1984 - 05 - 13 - LA PHIL - BOULEZ

19 images of breath and space is an exploration of sound, gesture, and the intimate physical interaction between performer and instrument. It was written in collaboration with flutist Justine Stephens over the during a residency we shared at Soaring Gardens Artists’ Retreat in Meshoppen, PA in the summer fo 2017.

No Name In The Street: for chamber orchestra (excerpts)

robertrankin

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