Description
Audio
Performed by the University of Cambridge Concert Band.
Philip Howie, Director
Duration
6 min.
Instrumentation
piccolo, 2 flutes, oboe, 3 Bb clarinets, bass clarinet, bassoon, 2 alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, 3 Bb trumpets, 3 trombones, Euphonium, Tuba, Percussion (glockenspiel, xylophone, tubular bells, timpani, snare drum, triangle, suspended cymbals, crash cymbal)
Program Notes
“Love is an attempt to change a piece of a dream-world into a reality.” – Henry David Thoreau
When Philip Rice asked me to write a piece for the Straits Area Concert Band, I was given a collection of Thoreau’s thoughts, ideas, and philosophies. From musings about family to reflections on nature, Thoreau’s numerous excerpts provided me a great deal of contemplation. However, the above quote stood out amidst the hundreds of others.
I believe this quote captures the concept of love perfectly. Love is a feeling. Love is also a choice. The verb “to love” is more of an action than a passive emotion. Through Thoreau’s poeticism, the idea of love existing in a dream-world versus reality emphasizes the requirement of action rather than passivity.
Anyone can dream about someone they love. Anyone can hope, wish, or desire their life to be with another. But it’s only in taking initiative that feelings of love will be given and consequently received. It’s only in taking action that will awaken the love that’s existed solely in dreams.
Love Awakens is a musical reflection on the idea that love is a choice. The idea of love can bring about fear. The giving of love can result in moments of failure. Loving another is never an easy journey. For most everyone, love exists initially as a feeling – or a dream –, becoming ever more present in our lives. We try to love. We fail to love. But ultimately, love triumphs through choice and through commitment. When love is simply a dream, never stop attempting to transform it into a reality.
Description
Audio
Performed by the University of Cambridge Concert Band.
Philip Howie, Director
Duration
6 min.
Instrumentation
piccolo, 2 flutes, oboe, 3 Bb clarinets, bass clarinet, bassoon, 2 alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, 3 Bb trumpets, 3 trombones, Euphonium, Tuba, Percussion (glockenspiel, xylophone, tubular bells, timpani, snare drum, triangle, suspended cymbals, crash cymbal)
Program Notes
“Love is an attempt to change a piece of a dream-world into a reality.” – Henry David Thoreau
When Philip Rice asked me to write a piece for the Straits Area Concert Band, I was given a collection of Thoreau’s thoughts, ideas, and philosophies. From musings about family to reflections on nature, Thoreau’s numerous excerpts provided me a great deal of contemplation. However, the above quote stood out amidst the hundreds of others.
I believe this quote captures the concept of love perfectly. Love is a feeling. Love is also a choice. The verb “to love” is more of an action than a passive emotion. Through Thoreau’s poeticism, the idea of love existing in a dream-world versus reality emphasizes the requirement of action rather than passivity.
Anyone can dream about someone they love. Anyone can hope, wish, or desire their life to be with another. But it’s only in taking initiative that feelings of love will be given and consequently received. It’s only in taking action that will awaken the love that’s existed solely in dreams.
Love Awakens is a musical reflection on the idea that love is a choice. The idea of love can bring about fear. The giving of love can result in moments of failure. Loving another is never an easy journey. For most everyone, love exists initially as a feeling – or a dream –, becoming ever more present in our lives. We try to love. We fail to love. But ultimately, love triumphs through choice and through commitment. When love is simply a dream, never stop attempting to transform it into a reality.
Tony Manfredonia
Tony is a composer and orchestrator for concerts and multimedia living in Petoskey, MI. He provides a multi-layered and sensory experience through expressive, colorful orchestration and warm melodies. He adds new perspectives to stories, environments, and everything in between through massive orchestral productions, as well as intimate atmospheres.
With performances and readings from renowned ensembles such as Apollo Chamber Players, the University of Cambridge Concert Band, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Tony’s music has been played across the globe.
He actively brings new music to his Northern Michigan home. Northern Symphonic Winds (NSW) of Charlevoix, MI, commissioned Tony to write a new piece for the ensemble, titled, On the Threshold of Spring, which premiered in May 2019. He is currently NSW’s composer-in-residence. Since 2018, he has worked closely with the Bay View Music Festival in Petoskey, with performances, premieres, and presentations for the summer students. In December 2019, he worked with The Accidentals, a local folk band, orchestrating their music for performance with the Traverse Symphony Orchestra.
Continually branching out into various styles, many of his projects involve sacred music: the full, orchestral score for Saint Luke Productions’ latest drama, “Tolton: From Slave to Priest,” their upcoming film, “Faustina: Messenger of Divine Mercy,” an Ave Maria for SATB Choir and Organ, as well as a Concert Band piece commissioned by Holy Ghost Preparatory School in Bensalem PA, “Rejoice in the Holy Spirit,” which premiered in September 2018.
All the while, Tony lives the life of a video game composer, constructing sonic spaces and emotionally-driven tracks to enliven each game’s world. His most recent, completed soundtracks are that for Kharon’s Crypt and Rot:Purge. Currently, he is working on the music for Call of Saregnar, a 90’s-inspired low-poly 3D RPG. Bridging the gap between “game music” and “contemporary classical music,” he continually strives to have his soundtracks performed as a means to draw in new audiences to the world of classical music. One example is his Suite from Kharon’s Crypt, an orchestral medley of tracks from the Kharon’s Crypt soundtrack.
More Products from Tony Manfredonia
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.