Joy

 

We Are Joy – a piano concerto with choir and chamber orchestra written by Jenni Brandon with poem by Oliver Mayer

This work was commissioned by the Long Beach Camerata Singers under the direction of Dr. Robert Istad for the 50th anniversary celebration of this organization. It asks the question “what is joy” and takes us on a journey through discovering what brings joy to our lives. We discover, in the end, that WE are joy, all things, and that we need only to look inside ourselves to find that true joy.

Take a look at the SCORE

Duration approximately 26 minutes

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Instrumentation:

Flute/Picc. 1, Flute 2
Oboe 1, 2
Clarinet 1, 2
Bassoon 1, 2

Horn in F 1, 2
Trumpet in Bb 1, 2

Timpani
Percussion 1 (Bass Drum, Suspended Cymbal, Marimba)
Percussion 2 (Glockenspiel, Snare Drum, Chimes)

Piano Solo

SATB Choir

Violin 1
Violin 2
Viola
Cello
Bass

Program Note:

The significant theme of this work asks the question “What is Joy,” and how we interpret this in our daily lives. Throughout the work we are asked to explore what joy means to us and the responsibility it takes to create that joy in our every day. Oliver Mayer, who is an Associate Professor of Dramatic Writing at the USC School of Theatre, wrote the original text for this piece, which explores this question of the meaning of joy. Inspired by Yeats’ poem Vacillations, the text moves through the emotions that Joy can bring, from being blessed, to questioning reason and responsibility, finding our way from darkness to light, and feeling exhilaration in discovering what Joy means for each of us. In setting the text, I wanted to explore and interweave this musical theme of Joy throughout the work. The piano, orchestra, and choir work together excitedly to ask the question of what is joy, to tell the story of searching for it, and at other times quietly expressing emotion through unaccompanied choir, piano solo, or instrumental interlude.

This unique orchestration of piano, choir, and chamber orchestra, borrowed from Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, allows this ensemble to create a colorful world to explore joy, happiness, and the feeling that “we are blessed, and can bless.” The piano throughout the work is extremely important in telling the story, but it does not stand alone in this task. The piano, choir, and orchestra work symbiotically: the piano as the individual voice supported by the choir, or the voice of many individuals seeking what Joy means to them through the colors and contrasts of the orchestra. All involved play an equally important part, often coming back to the theme of joy and happiness. Borrowing text from Yeats’ poem Vacillations:

“While on the shop and street I gazed

My body of a sudden blazed;

And twenty minutes more or less

It seemed, so great my happiness

That I was blessed and could bless”,

it becomes apparent that through even the simplest of moments, if we remain present, we will realize that we ARE joy – we are the poems, the songs, and the blessed that can bless.

It was my absolute joy to write this work for Dr. Robert Istad and the Long Beach Camerata Singers along with Tim Durkovic to premiere in my town of Long Beach on the occasion of their 50th Anniversary of bringing amazing choral programming to this community.

About the Piano Soloist Timothy Durkovic:

Los Angeles based pianist, Timothy Durkovic, is an active soloist and chamber musician, collaborating regularly with some of world’s finest instrumentalists and vocalists including Lynn Harrell, Martin Chalifour, Helen Callus, Movses Pogossian, Timothy Landauer, Richard O’Neil, Jonathan Mack, the Calder Quartet, the Miró Quartet, and the Casal Quartet among others. He is the Grand Prize Winner of the 1996 Los Angels Liszt Competition as well as a winner of the Beverly Hills Auditions, the Carmel Music Society Competition, the 2001 San Diego Duo Piano Competition and the 2001 IBLA Grand Prize Duo Award (Sicily, Italy) with his duo partner Chie Nagatani, as well as the recipient of the prestigious Outstanding Master’s Graduate Award from the USC Thornton School of Music. He has served as the Director of Keyboard Studies at Long Beach City College as well as on the faculties of the Orange County High School of the Arts, the University of La Verne, and the USC Thornton School of Music. He also performs regularly as part of the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra. His playing has been described as having great “sensitivity to colors” (Salt Lake City Tribune) and “effortless, with the music always in the forefront, and an overall effect…of music making that is too rarely heard.” (Frederick Swann). His CD recording “Gargoyles,” available on iTunes, received rave reviews as being “an incisive and exciting performance” from Lowell Lieberman, the title track’s composer himself. He has also performed and arranged music for advertising campaigns for clients such as Christina Aguilera and Dignity Health. Born and raised in Guatemala, Mr. Durkovic studied at the National Conservatory of Guatemala, the Juilliard School, Salem College and the USC Thornton School of Music. Tim is also a Senior Estates Director with Dilbeck Estates/Christie’s International Real Estate. Please visit his website for more information at www.timothydurkovic.com.

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Have a question about the work? Contact Jenni!