Enjoy this official Press Release with info about “Leviathan…” and the rest of this adventurous album! Please share this pdf with anyone else you think might be interested in learning about Legend Seekers!
Coming up soon in these next couple of months, we’ll be recording the epic Fantasy for Oboe/English Horn Soloist and Chamber Orchestra, “Intrepid“! It will be an amazing compliment to the Leviathan E-Violin Concerto on the upcoming album! <3
To prep the upcoming strings-only session — to make the process as easy as possible on my dear friends helping to make this possible — I decided to record myself playing the 2 violin parts and viola part ahead of time. It’ll give me a lot more flexibility in mixing the tracks, and give my players a really solid footing when reading through this together.
One of the things I love about a process such as this, is getting to hear a larger piece broken up into its basic layers–getting to hear what components interact to create the overall effect–and it never ceases to amaze and thrill me! I love music that weaves in and out of itself like a sonic tapestry…
You can get a sense for the intricacy of this work by listening to the following two segments of this prep-recording. Enjoy! 🙂
Want to contribute to this recording? There are several ways you can help:
Welcome to #NewTuneThursday!
Evoking the driving forces of metamorphosis and migration, INTREPID is a cinematic Fantasy for soloist on oboe and english horn, with small chamber orchestra accompaniment. It is rich in color and texture, persistently forward-moving on its sweeping journey.
Completed in 2015, this work consists of a rather unusual ensemble, as it was written for a very specific group in mind. But, in fact, I love how this unique texture plays into all the richness of color and harmony as well as transparency. This is definitely one of my favorite works; I love the melody and harmonies… someday I hope to re-record it with an expert group. 🙂
For now, enjoy the debut recording below:
“Intrepid” can be performed by an intermediate to advanced group. Get the sheet music here! And stay tuned for our new work of next week…
Welcome to #NewTuneThursday!
Leviathan of the Ancient Deep holds such a dear place in my heart! <3
Written in 2008 as my graduate thesis, this work is a three-movement, 25-minute concerto for solo 6-string electric violin, backed up by orchestra, EWI (electric wind instrument), and synthesizer.
Taking its cue from the Hebrew description of the Creature of antiquity and imagination, this Concerto features the virtuosic properties of the six-string electric violin with its immense range, while the various and creative sounds available to the synthesizer and electric wind instrument (EWI) enhance the beauty of the acoustic orchestra.
I remember I’d always wanted to create an electric violin concerto, and grad school seemed like the perfect opportunity to do it! 🙂
The three movements of this concerto tell a story of warriors setting sail upon the seas to find this ancient creature, Leviathan, for themselves…
I. Seekers of the Legend: “There go the ships: [there] is that Leviathan, [whom] thou hast made to play therein.”
II. 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.”
III. 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.”
The second movement is the longest and features a mirror sonata form. The outer movements act as bookends for the whole tale, and the third movement contains a Cadenza during which the soloist is free to recall all the themes and riffs that came before, in new and creative ways.
Fun story: being “under the gun” to complete this work for my degree requirements, I truly thought at one point I wouldn’t get the third movement done in time. But, in a fit of inspiration, I happened to create the movement in only 2 weeks! Of course, I cheated at the time by not writing out a Cadenza and declaring that the soloist should just create one. ^_^ Then, when we debuted the work live, I was forced to finally create a Cadenza I could be proud of. 😉
Because of the complexity of, not only the work itself, but of the whole organization of musicians and equipment needed, I really never thought I’d get to release a recording of it, to share my real vision of it. But after 8 years, as technology (and my handling of it) improved, I was able to put in the effort and create a worthy debut recording! This recording is currently available for Backstage Members. But plans are already underway to get more chamber works recorded this year, to round out a whole, new, fantastic Classical album, with Leviathan at its heart.
For now, enjoy this video featuring a 10-minute sample from the epic, exclusive recording of “Leviathan of the Ancient Deep” and images taken from the accompanying, interactive picture-book!
“Leviathan of the Ancient Deep” can be performed by an advanced group. Get the sheet music here! And stay tuned for our new work of next week…
Get a glimpse into the world of the Leviathan E-Violin Concerto with this new music video featuring a 10-minute sample from the epic, exclusive recording of “Leviathan of the Ancient Deep” and images taken from the accompanying, interactive picture-book!
Get the recording here, and the book here, in digital and paperback formats.
Taking its cue from the Hebrew description of the Creature of antiquity and imagination, this 25-minute Concerto features the virtuosic properties of the six-string electric violin with its immense range, while the various and creative sounds available to the synthesizer and electric wind instrument (EWI) enhance the beauty of the acoustic orchestra.
This project has been an 8-year dream of mine, and I couldn’t be happier with the result!
The full recording is available for a limited time and only to Backstage Members. By joining this inner circle, you’ll be directly supporting the careers of local musicians I work with and helping create quality new music recordings that will stand the test of time. 🙂
Let me know if you have any questions. I sincerely hope you enjoy this amazing recording!!
It’s always so exciting to see projects get finished, ready to share with you! So, check out these three newest releases, available now for your enjoyment!
Explore new music created to be partnered with other art-forms! From retro-style video games to short indie films, this collection covers instrumental and electronic moods from chip tune to romance, comedy, and contemporary Celtic. This download includes mp3s as well as 5 album art extras!
This original picture-book and poem by Sarah Wallin-Huff features the three movements and subsections found within her 2008 concerto for 6-string electric violin, EWI, synth, and orchestra, “Leviathan of the Ancient Deep,” allowing the reader to dive into the mythology that built the musical work.
You know what else this means?… As I finish up the Leviathan recording, once and for all, I have some really exciting projects in the pipeline, ready to start taking shape in the coming months…. 😀
#artistlife
TLDR: The ultimate recording of “Leviathan of the Ancient Deep” is under way! It will soon be available exclusively for my Backstage Members, along with some unique swag to celebrate this long awaited release!
I admit it — I’m obsessed with making sure my “Leviathan baby” gets to see the light of day… And it’s been a very long journey for this particular work.
“Leviathan of the Ancient Deep” is a three-movement, 25-minute concerto for 6-string electric violin, EWI, Synth, and orchestra. Written in 2008 and not premiered live until 2016, it is indeed a monster of a work. ‘…it’s a fantastic piece – imaginative, engaging, and pretty wild’ (Sam Renshaw, Parma Recordings).
I have been unable to get the funding needed to do a completely live recording, so I’m moving ahead with what I can do: producing a part-digital, part-live recording of this unique concerto. I’ve been piecing together as nice a digital orchestra as I can, along with getting to play with some great synth sounds for the electronic parts. The accompaniment is now just about complete, and all I have left to do is start recording the solo electric violin part.
I’m doing this so that I can personally “be done” worrying over Leviathan; so that I can confidently move forward with my next bigger works ahead of me, and so that others can finally experience my vision of the Concerto as best as is currently possible.
This recording will be available first, exclusively for my Backstage Members, along with some unique swag to celebrate this long awaited release! Later, when I have a full album of new material to add to it, I’ll publicly release Leviathan as a part of the new album… 🙂
Meanwhile… You can enjoy a couple of in-progress videos of my production process below…
Now Available for Everyone… Experience the mythological tale that under-girds the epic 25-minute Concerto! Enter the Story here…This original picture-book and poem by Sarah Wallin Huff features the three movements and subsections found within her 2008 concerto for 6-string electric violin, EWI, synth, and orchestra, “Leviathan of the Ancient Deep,” allowing the reader to dive…
via NEW! Experience the Leviathan Multimedia Art-Book! — i Support New Music
“Leviathan of the Ancient Deep” is a concerto for 6-string electric violin, EWI, Synth, and orchestra.Collaborating with PARMA Recordings, we want to create a definitive recording of this challenging work, in order to share it with others.
This is a one-of-a-kind concerto that deserves to be heard! Check out the video below exploring the history behind this unique work, and hear a solo snippet from Movement 1 (“Seekers of the Legend”) played by Sarah on her cool Dragon-Violin!
If you agree that this is a work that should be shared with others, visit iSupportNewMusic.com to see how you can help. Set up a custom, subscription-based donation if you like, get exclusive, project-based announcements when you contribute, and choose from an exciting list of rewards!
And, of course, the biggest thing you can do is spread the word about this project to your circle of connections – never underestimate the power of sharing! 🙂
Thank you–we couldn’t do this without you! <3
