Organ Concerto
Solo Organ, Strings, & Timpani
Eric Sessler
About
The idea of composing an organ concerto began in 2005 when Alan Morrison—a fellow Curtis alumnus and faculty member—played my solo piece Fantasy on a Curtis recital. His marvelous musicianship and technical prowess prompted me to think of a way for us to collaborate again. I had already been thinking about a suitable project for Curtis, and with the Kimmel Center’s new Dobson pipe organ, and the fact that the Curtis orchestra hadn’t performed an organ concerto in recent memory, a work for organ and orchestra seemed to be a natural fit.
Electric Daydreams, the first movement, is a reflection on the electric guitar music that I pursued throughout my formative years. It blends these rock influences with contemporary classical music. Much of the material evolved from riffs that I improvised on classical guitar, then transformed into music for string orchestra. Juxtaposed against this texture, the organ enters with full fanfares and an underlying hint of rock anthem. A contrasting section highlights long melodic lines in the organ pedal set against dazzling arpeggios in the manual. The movement reaches its climax in a blazing cadenza that utilizes all of the main material from Electric Daydreams.
The second movement, A Child’s Night Journey, is a musical fantasy on what I envision might fill the mind of children during their night-time dreams. My imagination was sparked one evening after I had sketched some material but was uncertain about the direction that the music was going to take. My older daughter, Emily, was having a difficult time settling down, and I finally let her fall asleep on the downstairs couch. As she slept, I looked at her face and was amazed by her peaceful, angelic expression. I realized that the music I was writing was all about this fascinating magical world that I believe children create in their dreams. From that point on, I simply let my imagination wander through this fantastical landscape, then transformed the images into music that gives the organ the opportunity to showcase its more delicate and intimate side.
The third movement was untitled until Alan related to me how he first listened to the MIDI rendition of this music in his car during a long road trip. As the music progressed, he found himself growing increasingly excited and invigorated. When the movement came to a close, he looked down at his speedometer and was surprised to see that he was driving at 90 mph. Momentum, as it came to be called, is a virtuosic tour de force for the organ with glittering arpeggios, ecstatic parallel melodies, and a middle section that highlights the organ pedals in solo “breaks” alternating with rhythmic string orchestra chords. Near the conclusion, the fanfare material from Electric Daydreams returns—this time in a new form and suddenly juxtaposed with the solo pedal “breaks.” The synthesis of first- and third-movement material continues throughout the intense climax and exuberant finale of the concerto.
My Organ Concerto was composed May-August 2006 and is dedicated to Alan Morrison.
—Eric Sessler
Performance
| Eric Sessler |
Organ Concerto I. Electric Daydream II. A Child's Night Journey III. Momentum |
|---|---|
|
Duration
18:00 |
|
|
Commissioning Year
2006 |
|
|
Premiere
February 4, 2007 Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA |
|
|
Recording
February 4, 2007 Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA |
Artists
-
Eric Sessler Composition
Eric Sessler received his Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School and his Bachelor of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music. He is a 1993 Curtis graduate, having studied composition with Samuel Adler, David Diamond, and Ned Rorem.
Dr. Sessler’s recent projects include music written for Anthony and Demarre McGill, a string quartet for the Dover Quartet, new works for guitarist Jason Vieaux, a flute concerto for Jeffrey Khaner with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and a duet for flute and guitar featuring Bonita Boyd and Nicholas Goluses at the National Flute Association Convention. He has received numerous awards, including the ASCAP Foundation Award, the Charles E. Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Theodore Presser Music Foundation Award; and grants from American Composers Forum, Meet the Composer, and the Philadelphia Music Project. His music is recorded on ACA Digital Recording, New Focus Recordings, and Musicaphon Records, and is published by Silver Sun Press, Verlag Neue Musik, and Les Productions d’OZ. Dr. Sessler’s Organ Concerto was featured on Opus 76—a showcase recording of the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ in Verizon Hall on the Kimmel Cultural Campus in Philadelphia with renowned organist Alan Morrison as soloist.
In addition to his work at Curtis, Dr. Sessler serves on the faculty of the Juilliard School’s pre-college division. Dr. Sessler joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 1999.
-
Alan Morrison Organ
Alan Morrison is one of the most sought-after American concert organists, performing in Alice Tully, Jacoby, Verizon, Benaroya, and Spivey halls; Meyerson Symphony Center; Overture Center; Jack Singer Concert Hall; the Crystal Cathedral; National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.; and colleges, cathedrals, and churches throughout North America, Europe, Russia, and Brazil.
Mr. Morrison has been a featured artist for numerous national and regional conventions of the American Guild of Organists. He won first prize in both the Mader (California) and Poister (New York) National Organ Competitions, as well as the silver medal at the 1994 Calgary International Organ Festival. Mr. Morrison’s numerous recordings are regularly featured on radio stations worldwide, and his television appearances include two episodes of Mister Roger’s Neighborhood as both an organist and pianist.
A graduate of Curtis (organ and piano accompanying) and the Juilliard School (organ), Mr. Morrison is college organist at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa. and organist in residence at Spivey Hall in Morrow, Ga. He joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 2002.
-
David Hayes Conductor
David Hayes is music director of NYChoral (New York Choral Society) and a professor at Mannes College of Music at the New School, where he also serves as music director of the Mannes Orchestra and heads orchestral and conducting studies. A staff conductor of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra at the Curtis Institute of Music, he has also led multiple productions for the Curtis Opera Theatre, including Manon, The Death of Klinghoffer, I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Il barbiere di Siviglia, and L’elisir d’amore, among many others.
Mr. Hayes was music director of the Philadelphia Singers for 23 years. As a guest conductor, he has appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Washington Chorus, Louisiana Philharmonic, Berkshire Choral International, and the Verbier Festival. He serves on the scholarship committee of the Edwin Garrigues Foundation and the board of directors of Chorus America.
Trained as a violinist and violist, Mr. Hayes holds a bachelor’s degree in musicology from the University of Hartford and a diploma in conducting from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied conducting with Otto-Werner Mueller. He also studied conducting with Charles Bruck at the Pierre Monteux School in Maine. He joined the Curtis faculty in 1990.
-
Curtis Symphony Orchestra
Acclaimed for its “otherworldly ensemble and professional level of sophistication” (New York Times), the Curtis Symphony Orchestra offers a dynamic showcase of tomorrow’s exceptional young talent. Each year the 100 extraordinary musicians of the orchestra work with internationally renowned conductors, including Osmo Vänskä, Vladimir Jurowski, Marin Alsop, Simon Rattle, Robert Spano, and Yannick Nézet Séguin, who also mentors the early-career conductors who hold Rita E. Hauser Conducting Fellowships. This professional training has enabled Curtis alumni to assume prominent positions in America’s leading orchestras, as well as esteemed orchestral, opera, and chamber ensembles around the world.
100 for 100
100 for 100 celebrates contemporary music with a showcase of bold, original compositions and fresh perspectives.
