| Author |
Topic: Paul Franklin/Steel Guitar Concerto |
Michael Levine
|
Posted 28 Nov 2001 11:05 am |
|
I hope everybody in traveling distance to Nashville will come to the world premiere of the Concerto for Pedal Steel Guitar and Orchestra featuring Paul Franklin as soloist with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra. There are three concerts: Fri. April 5, Sat. April 6, and Sun. April 7, 2001.
The piece is a three movement orchestral concerto and is extremely challenging for the soloist. It uses the pedal steel in ways that most people (not on this list) wouldn't think of as something it could do.
Of course, it helps to have one of the greatest virtuosos of the instrument, Paul Franklin to play it! Paul was inducted into the Steel Hall of Fame last year and has won the CMA steel player of the year award enough times that they should just give him a plaque with space at the bottom to add on new years.
The composer is me, Michel Levine. I've had other concert music pieces played at Lincoln Center in NYC, and performed by the Atlanta and Buffalo symphonies. But I used to play fiddle in a country band and have had a twenty-year love affair with the pedal steel.
Anyway, the concert is at the Blair School of Music, 2400 Blakemore Avenue, Nashville. Call the Nashville Chamber Orchestra office at 615-256-6546 for tickets.
Any questions, you can email me at MLMusic@earthlink.net. |
|
|
|
Jim Smith
From:
Midlothian, TX, USA
|
Posted 28 Nov 2001 11:19 am
|
|
Did you post this in a time warp or did you mean to say April of 2002?   |
|
|
|
Sage
From:
Boulder, Colorado
|
Posted 28 Nov 2001 11:34 am
|
|
Thanks for composing such a work, Michael. I am very excited to hear that this thing is coming to fruition.
I hope that a CD is published so that those of us who cannot attend can enjoy it.
T. Sage Harmos |
|
|
|
Mike Weirauch
From:
Harrisburg, Illinois**The Hub of the Universe
|
Posted 28 Nov 2001 12:44 pm
|
|
| Quote: |
| and has won the CMA steel player of the year award enough times that they should just give him a plaque with space at the bottom to add on new years. |
It's a pleasant thought but unfortunately the CMA doesn't provide for a steel player category, only instrumentalist of the year which Paul, or any of the other steel players nominated has never won.
|
|
|
|
Michael Levine
|
Posted 28 Nov 2001 12:49 pm
|
|
| No, no time warp, just a mind warp. I MEANT to say April 2002! Sorry about the confusion |
|
|
|
Gary Lee Gimble
From:
Fredericksburg, VA.
|
Posted 28 Nov 2001 1:47 pm
|
|
Michael, if possible, please make arrangements to have this event recorded, audio and video. Maybe someone by accident, might hear or see this and see some real potential for our beloved instrument, the pedal steel guitar!
Gary Lee |
|
|
|
Johan Jansen
From:
Europe
|
Posted 29 Nov 2001 6:34 am
|
|
If there is one person in the world , that can handle this marvelous job, it's Paul.
Make shure, I know that he can let the steelguitar work in all kinds of music 
Congrats with this challenge, Paul!!
And Michael, you are an example of people we need to take our instrument to a level where we will be recognised seriously as musicians. This is a very good advertisement for our instrument beyond the frontiers of countrymusic. Thanks, I'm enjoying already, and I hope this concert will be registrated in one or another way.
Johan
------------------
STEELDAYS 2002
my web-site
my bands CODand TSC
|
|
|
|
RickRichtmyer
From:
Beautiful Adamstown, MD
|
Posted 29 Nov 2001 7:09 am
|
|
Michael,
I'm with Garry Lee. I'll be glad to place an advance order for a copy of this if it's going to be recorded. I definitely hope that it will be!
------------------
Rick Richtmyer
Good News
|
|
|
|
Frank Estes
From:
Huntsville, AL
|
Posted 29 Nov 2001 8:41 am
|
|
Make no mistake, Paul will knock your socks off and I agree with Johan that if anyone can handle such a concert it is Paul.
I challenge the other pros in Nashville who are complaining about not getting enough studio work to go see this show and see the Players at 3rd and Lindsleys and it will all become clear to you.
Frank |
|
|
|
Bobby Boggs
From:
Upstate SC.
|
Posted 29 Nov 2001 11:06 am
|
|
| What Gary Lee,Johan,Rich and Frank said.If you change the date to the first weekend in May I'll be there in person. Please? |
|
|
|
Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
|
Posted 30 Nov 2001 12:39 am
|
|
Mike,
I'll try to be there !
I was wondering what sort of compositional form you are using.
Will it be similar to trad concertos with theme and variations, sonata form and all that ? Will there be an improvized cadenza ? Are there any composers you can compare your work to ?
This sounds like it will be a great thing.
Bob |
|
|
|
David Spires
From:
Millersport, OH
|
Posted 30 Nov 2001 8:04 am
|
|
Bravo! I'll certainly be there for the performance. The longer I play steel, the more I am amazed by Paul's artistry. The soul he puts in his playing is really remarkable. I hope this gets all of the press in Nashville and in the Classical Music scene that it should. How often is a "new" instrument introduced into a genre?
Congratulations Paul,
David Spires |
|
|
|
Michael Levine
|
Posted 30 Nov 2001 9:59 am
|
|
In answer to Bob Hofnar's questions, here's what I wrote to Jim Cohen yesterday:
The Concerto is a 17-18 minute three movement piece commissioned by the Nashville Chamber Orchestra. The lineup is flt/pc, ob/e. hrn. clar/bs. clar, horn, tpt, 2 percussionists (lots of mallets), and strings (6,6,5,4,2).
The first movement is a slow 12 bar blues, followed by a medium up 16 bar blues in 7/4, both with fairly oblique harmonization. (The harmony is all based on chord substitutions from the diminished scale.)
In the second movement the steel plays LOTS of chimes (I'm still not sure what I wrote is playable) and is run thru a delay unit playing echoes in time. It is ALSO a blues, but really oblique this time, more in texture than harmony.
The third movement begins with a couple of traditional bluegrass tunes (Drowsy Maggie, Old Joe Clark) that evolve in peculiar ways using bitonalism and complicated counterpoint. It ends with a wickedly fast train time that doesn't stay in one key very long. Just as Paul's arms are about to fall off, there is a grand pause and he plays the sonuvabitchahmtarred cliche followed by a final lickety-split zinger.
As for influences, the ghost of the Ravel G Major Piano concerto has been hovering over me a lot lately. It is not a standard concerto form other than being in three movements, but there are some fairly deep structural elements at work that are a bit complicated for a bulletin board.
cheers,
Michael Levine
|
|
|
|
Frank Estes
From:
Huntsville, AL
|
Posted 30 Nov 2001 4:42 pm
|
|
People have always said, "You never know who is reading the Forum and never posts." It is true, of course. There has been an apparent mini-fire storm beause of my little "jab" at those who have complained about studio work on this forum. Surprisingly, it is mainly by those who have NEVER complained or even post on this forum.
You would be surprised if I mentioned their names, but I won't.
I just want to say that I greatly respect Paul as person and musician. He has always been very nice to me in person and seems to be a genuinely humble guy.
Going and seeing him play live and talking with him had a BIG impact on me.
I do NOT know who is actually getting the most studio work or who isn't. I know that the perception is that it is Paul. Remember, how some complain that they hear the first-string whole-tone raise lick too much. That is one of Paul's signature licks.
My real point was that "if" Paul is at the top of the studio "food chain," then it is because of his musicianship/ability. It seems some on this forum have insinuated with their posts that it is for other reasons.
BTW, one advantage of "stirring stuff up" is that you might get E-mail from people you would never expect in your lifetime.
Happy Holidays! |
|
|
|
Ron Page
From:
Penn Yan, NY USA
|
Posted 30 Nov 2001 5:19 pm
|
|
Now,Frank! You're going to have to start screening your e-mail for white powder if you keep this up.
Seriously, there's no need to run down other steel players -- many great musicians -- to compliment Paul.
Now back to the subject at hand... way to go Paul. Concerto is way beyond me, but I'd definitely like to hear this.
------------------
HagFan
|
|
|
|
Mike Weirauch
From:
Harrisburg, Illinois**The Hub of the Universe
|
Posted 1 Dec 2001 8:06 am
|
|
| Quote: |
| BTW, one advantage of "stirring stuff up" is that you might get E-mail from people you would never expect in your lifetime |
......Well Frank, you certainly earned every piece of "hate mail" you received for your first post. Didn't it hurt when you stepped on "it"? |
|
|
|
