Excerpt of a live performance by Mostly Modern Orchestra, conducted by Laurie Steele. Paul Brancato, violin; David A. Jaffe, mandolin.
Would You Just As Soon Sing
As Make That Noise?!
for mandolin, violin and orchestra
Duration: 20'
1983
Instrumentation: solo mandolin, solo violin, orchestra (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, contra-bassoon, trumpet, trombone, horn, harp, piano, banjo, 2 percussion, strings)
"Would You Just as Soon Sing as Make That Noise!?" is a celebration of rituals and cultures, both ancient and modern; a kaleidoscope of peoples who find themselves forced to coexist, to step on each other's toes, to clash and, eventually, to resemble one another. The title of is from the poem "The People, Yes" by Carl Sandburg. The piece is dedicated to Elon Berger, born January 28, 1983, as a way of saying good luck and welcome to a world where there are five hundred ways of saying "Who are you?" of asking, "Where do we go from here?" and of saying, "Being born is only the beginning."
The piece is in the form of a double concerto for violin, mandolin and small orchestra. It was commissioned by the Mostly Modern Orchestra and premiered by Laurie Steele. It has also been performed by the Brooklyn Philharmonic under Lukas Foss.
To order a score and parts contact Terra Non Firma Press
Audio
Complete concert.
Mostly Modern Chamber Players; Laurie K. Steele, conductor.
- Washington's Birthday [1st movement from “Symphony No. 5: New England Holidays”] (1909) (9:43) / Charles Ives --
The Straits of Magellan (1961) (5:43) / Morton Feldman - Would You Just As Soon Sing As Make That Noise?!, for violin, mandolin and orchestra (1983) (22:13) / David A. Jaffe
- Hearing Things, for chamber orchestra (1983) (11:52) / Laurie Spiegel
- The Jupiter Effect, for alto saxophone and chamber orchestra (1983) (9:12) / Teo Macero