The Adventures of Matinee Concerto, as Broadcast Live from the Late Twentieth Century; with Notes
Paul Epstein
About this work:
A concerto dreaming it’s a movie. A Hollywood musical of the ear. A Jerome Robbins sequence on memory’s Bell Telephone Hour. The sound of Nelson Riddle, TV and film composer, Sinatra’s finest arranger, poet of suburbanized 1950’s hipness, whose music’s undeniable emotional power lies not only in its aching echo of 1940’s grandeur and manly melancholy, but in its often hilarious breadth of cultural reference, and its poignant balance of classical orchestration and Big Band groove-weight (both slightly watered down in order to mix better).
The violin, the concerto’s “hero”, resonates not only with the subtle, steely melodrama of a Bogart, but with yet another era’s now distant heroes – the great voices of the late 60’s: Hendrix, Zappa, the Beatles, Coltrane, et al.
I do not intend the many vernaculars used in this piece to be taken ironically (or at least not too). They are simply part of the gigantic vocabulary provided for me by by our diverse and polyglot cultural world. A single person speaks with many voices.The idea of “style” is less a matter of “integrity” than of emotional utility and honesty.
The piece was written in 1989 for Philip Setzer, who is the soloist on this recording, accompanied by the Aspen Festival Orchestra.
[I must apologize for one compositional/audio miscue: at the beginning, you will hear a very high pitch. Although it may sound like feedback, and is quite irritating, it is the violin playing a sustained “E” over the whole section. This will be changed for future performances and recordings.]
Formally, there are three large parts broken into 24 little sections which, in a stretch, could be thought of as the hours in one eventful day. They are:
I [11:27]
A
01. a radio noiseÆchords[:40]
02. a Main theme 1
b “solo”
c Main theme 2
d “solo” w/build-up [2:50]
03. a opening monolog
b button [1:08]
B
04. a opening theme montage
b coda: fughetta [:54]
05. Epis. A - scherzando[1:35]
06. Epis. B and build-up [1:13]
07. Basie-esque break [:16]
08. shortwave tune-in [:06]
09. a Episode C
b build-up
c coda - steps [2:45]
II [6:58]
10. a Hollywood intro
b big solo [1:05]
11. Love Theme; dissolve to [1:20]
12. “cool” break [:09]
13. cartoon sequence [:33]
14. a verse “in the club”
b chorus; main th. coda [1:45]
15. fughetta [1:34]
16. Weill-ish chorus [:34]
III [10:11]
A
17. Circus Interlude [:51]
18. big adagio monolog [1:12]
19. a opening theme reprise
b fast, driving solo
c harmonic climax [2:08]
20. Main theme reprise [:38]
B
21. a Waltz
b Episode B reprise [1:52]
22. “scherzo” intro to [:57]
23. cadenza [2:43]
24. final solo out [:50]
Year composed: 1989
Duration: 00:31:30
Ensemble type: Orchestra:Orchestra with Soloist(s)
Instrumentation: 3 Flute, 2 Oboe, 1 English Horn, 3 Clarinet, 2 Bassoon, 1 Contrabassoon, 1 Alto Saxophone, 1 Tenor Saxophone, 1 Baritone Saxophone, 3 Horn in F, 3 Trumpet, 2 Trombone, 1 Bass Trombone, 1 Tuba, 1 Timpani, 1 Percussion (General), 1 Drum Set, 1 Piano, ,1 Violin soloist(s), 4 Cello, 3 Double bass, 1 Harp