Joel McNeely

Dearest Readers,

As I prepare for Houston, I am focusing on my conducting technique as well as learning to conduct a piece that I've composed. Strange thing to realize, I've conducted quite a bit more music by other people than myself. This is the third performance of my 'Portraits' piece but the first time I've conducted it. Okay, it's not terribly difficult to conduct, but the real job is following the soloist, my wife. Her entire career has been spent soloing with the world's finest conductors, and I am an ultra-lightweight by comparison. I guess if it goes awry I can claim she wasn't following the 'composer's intent', right? But the big worry is that I've changed my baton technique recently. I'm holding it a completely different way which makes EVERYTHING different, new and strange. Last year in London with the BBC Symphony, I nicked the bottom of my stand and the baton went flying into the first row. I could've killed someone. I could've skewered one of the priceless string instruments in front of me. And on and on. I finished with just my hands, (which is actually a fine way to go) but I'm not letting THAT happen again. And so ---a new technique. We'll see.

Now, on to the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles. Get your tickets now if you want to come. It's all but sold out. (May 12th) Due to illness, pianist Bryan Pezzone, is replacing Jeffrey Kahane in my piano quartet Pacific Dances. Bryan plays on all of my scores and we went to school together. He's brilliant. Famed composer Uri Caine will premiere a new chamber work, which I am conducting in Jeffrey's absence. Just got the score yesterday. Looks very interesting, as all of Uri's pieces are. Very virtuosic. And a piece by friend Gernot Wolfgang is also on the bill, which promises to be great. Gernot mixes his experience as a jazz musician with an ultra-honed concert music style that is unique, skillful and engaging.

Okay, off to Texas. Yee hah!

http://www.laco.org/performances/40/

Ash is falling from the sky and the air smells like smoke here in Los Angeles. We are easily 40 miles from the fire in Griffith Park and still my car is covered in white dust. Imagine those living on the edge of the park.

Houston was a blast. What a nice city! Thanks to Mike Lowe and the Houston Chamber Orchestra for a wonderful concert. They played my piece beautifully and enthusiastically. Zilkha Hall has a fantastic sound. Thanks to all the supporters who came out and said hello after the concert. It was nice meeting all of you. I think I'm done revising this piece and that it's now in good enough shape to record. Maybe this summer.

See any of you brave souls at the Jazz Bakery this Saturday.

http://www.laco.org/performances/40/

LA Chamber Orchestra at the Jazz Bakery was something quite different Saturday night. It was packed (and hot.) Gernot Wolfgang's duo for cello and bassoon, Common Ground, came off really well with excellent performances. My piano quartet, Pacific Dances received an outstanding performance (I thought) with Bryan Pezzone throwing down some unbelievable piano playing. The string trio was superb as well; really finding the rhythm of the piece and making it, well, dance. Many thanks to the performers for giving me the gift of hearing the piece played damn near perfectly. Time to record.

Uri Caine's chamber piece for 13 instruments, Mosaic, was a huge hit. Uri's piano playing is remarkable and totally unique. Mark Swed gives an insightful and precise review of the concert today in the LA Times. I think he captures well, the very complex thinking of Uri Caine. Once again the LA Chamber Orchestra musicians did a phenomenal job and made conducting the piece a joy.

http://www.calendarlive.com/music/jazz/cl-et-laco14may14,0,3504357.story

I've been told it's being touted as fact that I'm conducting the Concerto Macabre from Hangover Square in Lyons this summer. My original post about it said I'd 'try' to program it, which I did. Well, sometimes even the best intentions fail. Couldn't find a pianist in time, so back to our original program, which will be just as fun I hope.

No need for despair though. It's premature to discuss yet, but an excellent date with a more than excellent American orchestra looks likely for this concert next year. All effort will be made to get the darkest of piano concertos programmed then.

There is an English translation on the Lyon site now. Check it out.

http://www.nuitsdefourviere.com/2007/soiree_en.php3?id_article=271

The Houston Chamber Orchestra was kind enough to allow me to post a few excerpts of my concert down there this month. The piece, Portraits, is in 3 movements and features violin and string orchestra. I've put it in the 'compositions' area of this site.

Overall the tonal lanquage is pretty straightforward. I wrote it for a Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra subscription concert and I wanted this to be a piece that would be accessible while still taking some chances. The first movement plays with the meter 7/8, using an ostinato that is passed around the group all throughout the movement. The violin plays a diatonic theme that is also developed throughout. In addition, I used a lot of rough bow strokes in the ensemble, creating a gritty energetic sound.

The second movement has the strings muted for almost the entire movement. I love this texture. In this passage I tried to play with different quiet colors and sonorities. String instruments are capable of an almost infinite variety of color and I was exploring those here.

The third movement is a somewhat twisted fiddler's reel. Celtic music must be somewhere in my blood, (I could play the Irish penny whistle almost before I could write my name) and I tried to have a bit of fun with a hybrid of the style here. I gave the violins and soloist a tricky tutti section that challenged them a bit (I hope.)

I thought the musicians in Houston played beautifully. Thanks to the orchestra for allowing me to share a bit of this piece.