On New Year's Eve, I finished the piano vocal score to SLAYING THE DRAGON. In my process, this means the show is over 50% complete. Next comes the orchestration. Since the plan is to keep the orchestra small, it is going to be flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba, harp, percussion/timpani, piano and synthesizer, and string quintet. My friend and fellow composer Craig Bohmler is a big fan of tuba in a small orchestra, so I have thought I'd give it a try. Since there is likely to be some aggressive brass writing in the show, it will be good for the brass section to have a "big bottom."
The next workshop for DRAGON is Saturday January 14th. In general, I wrote the music for the characters first and their conflicts last, so the music written since the fall workshop is more strident, angular, and dramatic. Too much of this turns an audience off, but the less tuneful music actually sets up the melodic parts so they can be enjoyed, otherwise too much sweet music ends up being like a too-large chocolate sundae, lovely at first, but then boring, and perhaps even too much to digest.
The next workshop for DRAGON is Saturday January 14th. In general, I wrote the music for the characters first and their conflicts last, so the music written since the fall workshop is more strident, angular, and dramatic. Too much of this turns an audience off, but the less tuneful music actually sets up the melodic parts so they can be enjoyed, otherwise too much sweet music ends up being like a too-large chocolate sundae, lovely at first, but then boring, and perhaps even too much to digest.
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