Annual American Composers Update
Donald Martino
In 2001, in honor of Donald Martino's 70th birthday, a
number of concerts are planned (see Performances, below).
The pianist David Holzman's 60th-birthday concert at Bache-Miller
Hall, NY (acclaimed by New York critics), including all
Martino's piano music (
Fantasies and Impromptus, Impromptu
for Roger, Piano Fantasy, Twelve Preludes, Pianississimo,
and
Suite in Old Form) will be repeated this season
in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Martino gave
a three-hour master class focused on performance of his
solo music, at the International Clarinet Connection held
June 7, 2000 at Boston's Longy School. He was a final
judge for the 47th Annual BMI Student Composer Awards.
As an engraver and autographer, his
Charles: Happy
Birthday to You won the Quarto Off-size Music Award
of the Music Publisher's Association (MPA). Other works
by Martino to win awards from the MPA in previous years
are
From the Other Side, Twelve Preludes, 15 5 92 AB,
and
Saxophone Concerto (both study score and saxophone-piano
version).
Premieres
Serenata Concertante's first performances occurred
with the Parnassus Ensemble, Anthony Korf conducting,
at Merkin Hall, in New York, NY, Apr. 1999; with the Monadnock
Music ensemble, James Bolle conducting, Aug. 2000; with
Earplay, at Buena Vista Auditorium, in San Francisco,
Oct. 2000; and with Sonor, Harvey Sollberger conducting,
at the University of California San Diego, Oct. 2000.
At the World Saxophone Congress, Kenneth Radnofsky introduced
the saxophone solo
Piccolo Studio, July 2000 at
the University of Quebec, in Montreal. In Nov. 2000, solo
violinist Rolf Schulte presented
Romanza at Paine
Hall, in Boston, and at Merkin Hall.
Performances
Martino's Pulitzer Prize-winning
Notturno, heard
in 2000 with the new-music ensemble Eighth Blackbird at
St. Ambrose University, IA (Feb.); Morrison Artists Series,
CA (Feb.); Williams College, MA (Feb.); South Shore Concerts,
MA (Feb.); Longy School, MA (Feb.); University of the
South (Feb.); Simpson College, IA (Mar.); St Paul Kids
Program (Mar.); Davidson College (Mar.); Mansfield University
(Mar.); Candlelight Concert Society, MD (Mar.); Twentieth
Century Unlimited, NM (Apr.); and Aspen (Apr.); also was
on the program of the Speculum Musicae 30th Anniversary
Concert, at Merkin Hall, Jan 2001. A concert in his honor,
to be given by the ISCM at Merkin Hall, Feb. 2001, will
feature Eliza Garth, piano; Schulte, violin; and Lois
Martin, viola, playing
Fantasies and Impromptus
for piano (1981);
Fantasy Variations (1964) and
Romanza (1999) for solo violin;
Three Sad Songs,
for viola and piano (1992); and
Sonata, for violin
and piano (1954). At Paine Hall, The Fromm Foundation
at Harvard will present two concerts of Martino's music
in Feb. and Mar. 2001 including
Fantasies and Impromptus,
for piano; and
Triple Concerto, for clarinet, bass
clarinet, contrabass clarinet, and 16 players.
Publications
Charles: Happy Birthday to You; Variazioni Sopra un
Soggetto Corato; both for solo clarinet;
Serenata
Concertante; study score;
Canon Ball; vibraphone
and piano;
Divertimento on Verdi's La Forza del Destino;
clarinet and piano;
Threeway; clarinet or piano,
vibraphone, bass viol or cello;
Piccolo Studio
for Saxophone Solo; all by
Dantalian,
Inc., 1999-2000. Revised editions:
Trio for Clarinet,
Violin, and Piano; Sonata for Bass Carinet; Piano Fantasy;
Seven Pious Pieces; SATB choir;
Notturno; study
score;
Parisonatina al'Dodecafonia; solo cello,
four-color edition; all by
Dantalian,
Inc., 2000.
Further Information
