Just another brief note here. As you can tell, I’ve been doing some cleanup around here. The page for the quintet had some problems and I’ve fixed them and added a video to boot. The mix is new and should sound more natural. So if you haven’t visit the page (and especially if you have) it’s right here.
Brass Quintet #3: A blast from the past (in more ways than one)
Back in 1997, I started another brass quintet. I’d already written two of them as well as another piece for brass and small ensemble (which has been withdrawn). All of them were played multiple times around the Northeast.
This piece turned out a little differently. It’s my only work for brass quintet that has not been performed. When I finished it, my regular quintets had disbanded. I didn’t have time to pursue new opportunities, since my technology career had begun eating into my time. I think this is the best of them. It’s flashy and virtuosic. While based on a 12-tone row, it refers strongly to tonality in many places. The five movements are:
1 - Fanfare. Short and simple—maybe deceptively obvious , to be revisited in the last movement
2 - Irregularities. Played in mutes, with clashing meters between groups. Occasionally comedic
3 - Toccato. A wild movement, with much close counterpoint
4 - Canzona. Song-like with alternating theme and chorales.
5 - Reprisals. The fanfare again, this time torn to shreds.
I’ve attempted many renderings of this piece, but never had one that captured a sense of the piece. But the tools keep improving, so I have a new one that finally feels right. Perhaps it will find its way to a stage.