Don't miss our exciting Duo Recital! (Click this photo for Concert Info.)

It’s been awhile since my last post concerning news of my trilogy, I know. With all the musical excitement going on around here recently, I honestly just haven’t had the focus or energy to pick up where I’d left off… But, I think I’m in position now to get going again!

To spearhead this movement forward — after receiving some wise words from professional editor and friend, Ken Glaser, and fixing up just a couple other minor things to really polish this work up — I finally submitted In Pursuit of Truth to my Publisher Pick #2, Baen Books. 
I was only planning on researching the company’s submission guidelines tonight to begin preparations. But when I found that they prefer online submissions and required everything that I’d already had prepared from my first attempt, well, I figured I might as well get this ball rolling!

So, it’s official — Book 1 has been submitted again… Keep your fingers crossed! …um, for the next 12-18 months… LOL!!!….

Thanks again, all my dear Nerdy Fans for your love and support!… I’m really looking forward to continuing my work in Book 3 this week and onward, at least semi-regularly again…I know a lot of you have been waiting patiently to see what happens next, hee hee…

Movement 3, “The Hunt,” is certainly a doozy, though!

When completing this work for my graduate thesis, I was actually very concerned that I wouldn’t have a third movement ready in time. Being that the second movement was so very massive and intricate — and time-consuming! — I had considered that I may just have to make do with only two movements. I am SO happy I didn’t settle for that!

In spite of the fact that this movement was compiled in only two weeks (and under much panicked duress!), it was always meant to be a brief, fireworks-show of an ending (modeled after the Barber violin concerto). That’s certainly what it turned out to be!

It consists of two major sections: the first of which is a violent “conversation” between the percussion section and the electric instruments; the second a response from the rest of the acoustic orchestra. This first section is in a rollicking 10/8 meter (divided as 3+3+2+2), and the second section is an almost jovial sea-chanty in good ol’ 4/4. In the final moments of the movement, you’ll hear snippets from both themes being intertwined and passed back and forth throughout the orchestra…. What cracks me up, is that after all we’ve experienced in the first two movements, the mode (and consequently, mood) of this movement is neither explicitly in major or minor, but almost ambiguous… leaving the thrust of the action purely in the rhythmic turbulence!

There is a moment left open for a CADENZA in the solo electric violin part, too (you’ll hear the emptiness for now at 2:40 in the accompaniment track). Here’s a note about that from the Notes to the Performer in the score:

…the soloist should take note that an original Cadenza is to be executed toward the end the third movement. He or she may feel at complete liberty to construct a cadenza according to the soloist’s personal style and instincts. It is the suggestion and wish of the composer that the soloist utilize the wealth of thematic material already presented throughout the work up to the point of the cadenza’s appearance, but the manner in which it is presented is left up to the soloist; a long-held trill at the end – while not required – is a tried-and-true signal to the conductor that the soloist is ready to continue with the orchestra to the grand finale. This cadenza is in homage to both the traditional concerto style and to the typically improvisatory nature of the electric violin.

Cool, huh??!

As I said, this is my favorite part of the work! But, going through this project of polishing up decent sound samples has made me greatly appreciate, and fall in love, with this massive concerto of mine. I truly hope to have it performed live or even recorded professionally at some point in the future!

…Coming up soon, I’ll be adding my own recorded tracks of the solo line to complete these sample recordings!…

In the meantime, here’s the accompaniment to the “The Hunt”!

A little bit about this second movement; well, and about this Concerto on the whole, in case you’re interested….

The work consists of three movements:

1. Seekers of the Legend - There go the ships: [there] is that Leviathan, [whom] thou hast made to play therein.
2. Sighting - Canst thou draw out Leviathan with an hook?… None is so fierce that dare stir him up… Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear… He is a king over all the children of pride.
3. The Hunt - In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan…that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that [is] in the sea.

Throughout the development, the themes from the exposition are (of course) explored in a variety of slightly odd treatments. But, in so doing, the listener is also taken on an aural journey of the “Seekers” from the first movement now running into the Creature of Legend. There are titles given to certain sections within the movement; I’ll list them here with times – see if you can visualize the action!

So, to encourage myself, and to prepare a sound sample FINALLY really worthy of being shown to prospective parties , I decided to embark on the “Leviathan Experiment.” I’m going through, movement by movement, and bringing in the old MIDI files (that I had “slopped” together in a hurry for my thesis deadlines, since it was only really the score and parts that mattered at the time, lol!) — bringing them into Garageband and polishing them up real nice with decent sounding instruments and special FX… creating a sound file that’s much, much closer to what the real thing would (hopefully!) sound like, were a group to truly take it on!

Even better — I’m only sequencing the orchestral and MIDI accompaniment parts; I plan on actually recording myself playing the solo line on my six-string electric violin! It’ll be great fun!

So, because I was SO impressed with the awesome results so far…

Here is the Accompaniment Track to Leviathan, Movement 1! Remember, there is no solo line added yet; only accompaniment. But, enjoy for now, and keep an eye out for more to come!

I recently got the official date scheduled for my recording with PARMA Recordings and the New England String Quartet!:

“We would like to officially schedule the recording of Anima Mechanicae…for Tuesday, June 19th, 2012….The recording will take place at one of our best Boston studios, Futura Productions located in Roslindale, MA. We are very much looking forward to recording with you then.”

(You can check out the gah-lorious Futura Productions studio website, too!)

So, I’m planning a three-day trip to Boston: June 18-20. **YESSSS!!!!!**

You better believe I’ll be positing updates like crazy, too, while I’m there… photos and anecdotes galore!!! Can’t hardly wait!!

Ken, Sarah, Danielle, Keith: String Theory in Anaheim, CA

Don’t forget!

String Theory is performing out on the patio in front of the Blue Fin in Claremont, this Sunday afternoon, 2pm-5pm!

Visit this link to view more details. Hope to see you there!