A Postcard From Brazil
James Nathaniel Holland
About this work:
A POSTCARD FROM BRAZIL
(Tone Poem for Orchestra)
Following in the tradition of Ellington and Gershwin, this piece is the melding of classical and jazz elements. In fact, one could almost go as far to say that this is a tone poem for jazz orchestra.
The piece doesn’t pretend to be any authentic anthology of Brazilian music, rather it is a postcard of musical, Brazilian landmarks, a photo album of sounds.
From the first chord the listener is transported to the raucous, carnal streets of Rio de Janeiro: the racing traffic, the open air markets, music from cafes, the roar of the ocean and of Carnival.
Then as day sinks into night, the tourist is whisked away from Rio to Salvador where a Candomblé ceremony is in full swing.
With no time to lose, we travel to the beach, late at night, and at a coconut stand a slow samba wafts through the warm, tropical breeze. We stay out a little too late and uncertainty perhaps forebodes a chance of real danger. Then just in time we are rescued by a beautiful, stylish hero, represented by a seductive Bossa Nova.
He takes us driving through the mountains and later invites us into his private plane, gliding us over the country and viewing the green carpet of the Amazon below, or the majesty of Iguaçu Falls. But too soon, as with all good things, our musical vacation must eventually come to an end and we travel home, energized until our chance to return next year.
Year composed: 2002
Duration: 00:20:00
Ensemble type: Orchestra:Standard Orchestra
Instrumentation: 1 Piccolo, 1 Flute,1 Flute soloist(s), 1 Clarinet, 1 Tenor Saxophone,1 Tenor Saxophone soloist(s), 1 Baritone Saxophone,1 Baritone Saxophone soloist(s), 1 Horn in F, 1 Trumpet,1 Trumpet soloist(s), 1 Trombone,1 Trombone soloist(s), 4 Percussion (General), 1 Piano, 1 Strings (General), ,1 Violin soloist(s), ,1 Viola soloist(s), ,1 Cello soloist(s)
Instrumentation notes: Requires the following Brazilian Percussion: Bass Surdo, Tamborim, Rainstick