A violin concerto in the grand, romantic tradition that pays tribute to Hindemith, Bach, and Prokofiev,  three of the greatest masters of counterpoint in the history of music, each with his own distinctly unique style.  Each composer took the concepts and rules of counterpoint developed in the 16th century and adapted them to  their own harmonic and melodic language.   The greek word, Encomium roughly translates as homage, or to give honor.  In this concerto, I honor  these three brilliant genuises.

This work is based on several themes I was working on when my first wife died of cancer at the age of only twenty five.  After Kim’s death,  My shattered life was consumed with raising our two babies, and the focus of my life shifted with simply surviving from day to day replacing earlier dreams of writing for Broadway, composing film scores, becoming a great composer.  When  I took up composition again, I found myself emotionally unable to revisit the works that I had been working on when Kim became ill.  17 years later I was finally thinking of using them in a work honoring Kim, when  Wendell Dobbs asked to me to compose a flute concerto for him.  Remembrances has a wistful sadness, but it is also full of joy and beauty as I remember my warm, generous and amazing first love.

2009  23’

3+222 4231 timp 2per harp, strings • 22’

Premier, March 14, 2009

by E. Reed Smith with Kimo Furumoto and the Huntington Symphony

Recorded by Vit Musik with Petr Vronsk and the Moravian Philharmonic

2003’ 26’

2+121 2210 timp 2per harp, strings

1st performance by Wendall Dobbs with Kimo Furumoto and the Huntington Symphony Orchestra

What is it about Mozart that inspires such devotion, and even reverence?  In the movie,  “Amadeus”,  Mozart’s nemesis, Salieri compares Mozart’s writing to “taking dictation from God”.  For the two hundredth anniversary of Mozart’s death I composed a Serenade centered around a slow movement based very loosely on the great Adagio from the Grand Partita and Serenade.  The theme in the oboe is the central theme of the Serenade and runs throughout the work.  The Serenade for Mozart has been performed by Pro Musica, The Naples Philharmonic and the LeHigh Valley Chamber Orchestra.

1992 27’

2+2+2+2 2200 timp 2per harp, strings

1st performance by Timothy Russell and the Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra

Also performed by the LeHigh Valley Chamber Orchestra and the Naples Philharmonic.

In the 1800’s a drunken conductor was run over by a train late one night near the town of Moonville, Ohio.  Over the next few years, there were many reports of a ghostly “bobbing lantern” and the legend of the Ghost of  Moonville Tunnel sprung up.  There are in fact, documented cases of very strange goings on involving death and mayhem!  During the depression, Moonville was abandoned, but to this day local hikers swear that the bobbing lantern can still be seen.  This large scale symphonic poem in the grand tradition of Richard Strauss presents “ghostly” challenges to the orchestra as well! My prize winning entry in the Lancaster Festival International Composition Contest was heralded by the Columbus Dispatch as a “welcome addition to the Symphonic Repertoire, ready to take it’s rightful place beside “The Sorcerers Apprentice” and “Night on Bald Mountain”.

2000’ 13’

3+3+3+2, contra 4331 timp 3per piano, strings

Premier by Gary Sheldon and the Lancaster Festival Orchestra

Recording coming soon!

Please enjoy this early edit of the new recording

of Encomiums,  The CD sounds even better!

Put a little laughter in your next concert.  An oboe “diva” and and a rather befuddled English Horn player explore the possibilities of “classical” humor in this fun and engaging work.  Eschewing the traditional minuets and gigues, this suite is filled with more “modern” dances including; “Charleston”,  “Viking Veil Dance”, “Rap”, and a “Hula” (complete with grass skirt and backup singers from the string section.)  The center piece is “Funny Hats” where each musician tries to upstage the rest by donning ever more outlandish examples of millinery finery.  The final movement, “Polka” breaks down in total chaos as everyone tries to keep up with the English Horn coming in in the wrong keys, the wrong places, and getting ever more lost!

2005 14’

Oboe and English Horn soloists with sString Orchestra

1st performance by Lora Lynn Snow & William Baker with Ray Fowler and the Ohio Valley Symphony

Ann Carson Dater grew up in rural Meigs County, Ohio.  She married a multimillionare real estate developer from Cinncinati and over the past years has been an extremely generous patron of the arts.  Portrait was composed for the opening of an expansion that added several new classrooms and performing spaces to the Ariel Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Center.  For this occasion, I painted a musical portrait of her.  Her favorite composer is Copeland, and I took my cue for the opening theme as a tribute to his most famous style. 

2007 8’

2+2+2+2 2200 timp 2per harp, strings

1st performance by Ray Fowler and the Ohio Valley Symphony

Recorded by Ray Fowler and the Ohio Valley Symphony on “Celebrate the Gift”

Recording coming soon!

Recording coming soon!