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Andrew Norman’s Concerto for Theremin and Orchestra Premieres in Heidelberg

Apr. 05, 2011

Andrew Norman sees his next world premiere on April 13 in Germany when the Heidelberg Philharmonic and soloist Carolina Eyck perform his new concerto for theremin and orchestra, Air, conducted by Cornelius Meister. The concert completes Andrew’s tenure of Composer for the City of Heidelberg for the 2010/11 season. On the heels of the Heidelberg event, John Adams leads musicians from the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the world premiere of Andrew Norman’s Try for sinfonietta as part of the LA Phil’s Green Umbrella series on May 24. Andrew comments on his piece for Heidelberg:

The theremin, this most electronic, most "machine" of musical instruments, has the ability to sound uncannily human. It was with this in mind that I decided to write for Carolina Eyck and the Heidelberg Philharmonic a work that is less "concerto" and more "concert aria." This is a piece that treats the theremin like a hyper-human voice-a voice that can sing lower than the lowest basso profundo and higher than the highest coloratura soprano, a voice that can sing softer than any one instrument in the orchestra and louder than all of them put together, and, perhaps most alluringly, a voice that can sing the most impossibly long phrases without having to breathe like a normal human. Long-lined lyricism and its place (or lack thereof) in the discourse of contemporary classical music is something I've been thinking a lot about in the last few years, so this chance to write for theremin, to indulge my most lyrical tendencies and write more vocally than I have in years, has come at the perfect time for me.

Andrew Norman is currently at work composing new pieces for the Aspen Chamber Orchestra and for the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra for their commissioning venture Project 440, which celebrates the ensemble's 40th anniversary.

Learn more on the music of Andrew Norman at www.andrewnormanmusic.com and www.schott-music.com.

More on Andrew’s work for Project 440 can be found at www.orpheusnyc.org.

For details on the Los Angeles Philharmonic concert, visit www.schott-music.com.

Andrew Norman
Air (2011)
concerto for theremin and orchestra
2.2.2.2-2.2.0.0-2perc(vib, gong, crot)-hp.pno-str
15’

N.B. This work has been withdrawn by the composer and is no longer available for performance.

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