related works
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)
Scoring:
traverso vln vla vc cemb
Divertimento ostinato : for winds, strings, harp and percussion, 1988 / Bernard van Beurden
Genre:
Orchestra
Subgenre:
Large ensemble (12 or more players)
Scoring:
1110 sax-a 0110 4perc hp vl vla vc
Passacaglia in blue : for 12 windinstruments and double bass, (1972) / Willem Frederik Bon
Genre:
Orchestra
Subgenre:
Large ensemble (12 or more players)
Scoring:
2222 2110 cb
Genre:
Orchestra
Subgenre:
Large ensemble (12 or more players)
Scoring:
picc 2fl 2ob 4cl cl-b sax-s sax-t sax-bar 2fg 4h 3tpt 2trb trb-b tb cymb perc timp pf org-el
composition
Dirt to Gold : for chamber orchestra / Brendan Faegre
Author(s):
Faegre, Brendan
(Composer)
Description:
“…there were possibilities within the limitations of everyday life, with the things that we look at that are disposable. Our lives can seem so limited and uneventful, but these things can be transformed. We can appoint ourselves to be – to be alchemists, turning shit into gold.” - Beck Hansen
Dirt to Gold tries to do just that, to take “worthless” sounds, sonic junk, and transform them into powerful, meaningful music. This transformation happens many times throughout the piece, and on many different levels. Abrasive thumps and squeaks crystallize into cool grooves, ever-shifting rhythms gradually settle into clear patterns, and aluminum foil makes several high-profile appearances in the orchestra.
When Roger approached me about writing a piece for the Debut Orchestra, my first task was to find an interesting connection between my own musical interests and that of Debut’s home in Los Angeles. This connection came in the form of my teenage infatuation with the music of L.A.’s Beck Hansen, particularly his album Odelay. Inspired by his ideas and music, I composed a work that marries Beck’s rebellious energy with my own musical language.
Brendan Faegre