Steel Guitar Concerto

Michael Levine · Posted 25 Mar 2005 9:34 pm

The long-delayed premiere of the Concerto for Pedal Steel Guitar and Orchestra is finally upon us, Saturday, April 16th, 2005, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Steel Guitar hall of famer Gary Morse is the soloist and the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Paul Gambill, will accompany him.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first true steel concerto written. It's in three movements and though it borrows from the steel heritage, it is challenging contemporary music. Gary will need his fingers bandaged should he survive the experience.

This piece was composed by Michael A. Levine (uh, me).

For more inormation go to nco.org.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Congratulations, Michael, on finally getting to do this. I know the steel parts were amazingly challenging, if not downright unplayable, so unless they've been re-written, Gary will indeed have to have his fingers bandaged up afterwards! Wish I could be there to see/hear it. As luck would have it, it's the same day that my own band will be appearing with the Philadephia Classical Symphony (although in nothing as intricate or challenging as this)...
Good luck and let us all know how it goes.
Jimbeaux

Charles Curtis · Posted 26 Mar 2005 5:54 am

Michael will there be a video done of this?

Tom Stolaski · From: Huntsville, AL, USA

Is it written in standard notation or tablature?

Michael Levine · Posted 26 Mar 2005 8:12 am

It's written in standard notation with chord symbols for improvisatory sections.

Jim is not alone in his assessment that it is unplayable as written. No less than Paul Franklin agreed to play it, then backed out because it was too hard.

But Gary has been shedding it for weeks. He has great chops, but even more importantly, fantastic musical instincts. I talked to him yesterday and he sounded pretty confident, although he said he's putting in a couple of hours a day on the piece now.

I gave him carte blanche to revise his part to make it more steel friendly. But, according to Gary, in all but a few places, he's playing the ink.

Unfortunately, there will be no video and any audio recording that somebody just happens to make you didn't hear about from me. Winking

So if you want to see/hear Gary triumph (or fall on his face) your best bet is to get to Nashville on the 16th.

Tim Harr · From: Dunlap, Illinois

Too hard for Franklin? Maybe it was just an investment of time that he wasn't willing to make or it was not a priority?..he stays really busy! Backing out because it is too difficult is hard to believe...

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

Having both seen the score and heard the synth demo, I can attest to the difficulty and complexity of this piece. I had contemplated tackling it myself, but as soon as I saw what I would be up against, I chickened out.

Gary is going to need more than his fingers bandaged. Perhaps 6 months in a rest home is more like it.

Tom Stolaski · From: Huntsville, AL, USA

Maybe you could post a section of this piece in the tablature section of this forum. I would love to see some music that is too hard for Paul Franklin to play.

Hook Moore · From: South Charleston,West Virginia

me too !

Hook

------------------
www.HookMoore.com

Chip Fossa · From: Monson, MA, USA (deceased)

I wouldn't mind checking this out, too.

Is this Concerto a written piece of music for, like, any instruments? Or was it written specifically for pedal steel?

If it was, indeed, written specifically for steel, why would it be written or composed in such a way as to make it almost "impossible" to play, short of studying it for months or even years.

What's the point?

Not to inflame, but it sounds like the DUI road test they give you [I should know]- "OK
you passed that. Now touch your...and raise your right foot....and recite the alphabet"...
No matter how great you perform, there will always be that next obstacle...you can not win.

I thought Buddy Emmon's rendition of "Canon in D" on the 'rainbow album' was just something else. It employed the E-bow and was recorded/dubbed using 4 separate steel
parts. And it was masterly done.

But maybe this is what classical compostions
and composing are all about. I still remember the always ongoing competition between Mozart and Saleieri in that great movie. Like steel - always looking to come up with something new and baffling.

I'd love to see this music? Tab would be better, but I can stumble thru standard notation and can tell quickly by just looking at it just what kind of torture awaits.

FWIW...

cf

Larry Jamieson · From: Walton, NY USA

Michael,
There needs to be a recording made of this performance. Musical history is being made and this performance is important to classical music people as well as students of American music and the pedal steel guitar. Perhaps you could talk the Nashville PBS station into recording this event with two or three remote cameras, and then editing it into a television special for PBS. I know, this takes funding, etc. but it would sure be nice to have it preserved. Who knows when it may happen again... Good luck with the concert, I hope all goes well. Larry J.

Al Marcus · From: Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)

This will be an important milestone for Pedal Steel Guitar and should be video recorded and exploited by the steel guitar industry.
Builders could even all chip in to cover the cost if needed. This would help their sales in the future. I am hoping it happens....al

------------------
My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/

Mike Weirauch · From: Harrisburg, Illinois**The Hub of the Universe

Too hard for Paul Franklin? I just fell out of my chair laughing at that statement. I venture to say that no music has been written, correctly, that Paul Franklin, Buddy Emmons, Lloyd Green, Hal Rugg or Tommy White can't play. By the way, what Hall Of Fame is Gary in? Just curious.

John Cadeau · From: Surrey,B.C. Canada

It doesn't matter what hall of fame Gary is in. He's got the determination to tackle the project and get it done . I give him credit for that, and I sure hope I get to hear the finished product.
John

Dr. Hugh Jeffreys · From: Southaven, MS, USA

I haved attended Composers' Symposia and Seminars and have seen pieces that would require a musician to be a mathematician to perform. Each part was written in a different mathematical context and was so confusing that each player could not play for very long until being overwhelmed by one another's part. Also, the piece, overall, was not very interesting. I have a Chamber piece that I composed for Brass Quintet and Steel that is playable, not too difficult to read, and--I think is somewhat interesting in context. When music becomes so technically difficult and far out, the original meaning of music is lost. After all, music is an aural sensation not a visual one. ---j---

Tom Stolaski · From: Huntsville, AL, USA

Frank Zappa wrote an arrangement of "While You Were Out" for a chamber ensemble called the E.A.R. Unit. They said they were unable to play it. It needed a left-handed piano.

So they decided to lip-sync it. Nobody knew that the musicians never played a note.

[This message was edited by Tom Stolaski on 27 March 2005 at 07:09 AM.]

Michael Levine · Posted 27 Mar 2005 5:20 pm

Chip wrote:
>Is this Concerto a written piece of music for, like, any instruments? Or was it written specifically for pedal steel?

If it was, indeed, written specifically for steel, why would it be written or composed in such a way as to make it almost "impossible" to play, short of studying it for months or even years.

What's the point?

Not to inflame, but it sounds like the DUI road test they give you [I should know]- "OK
you passed that. Now touch your...and raise your right foot....and recite the alphabet"...
No matter how great you perform, there will always be that next obstacle...you can not win.

I thought Buddy Emmon's rendition of "Canon in D" on the 'rainbow album' was just something else. It employed the E-bow and was recorded/dubbed using 4 separate steel
parts. And it was masterly done.>

When Tchaikovsky wrote his violin concerto, he dedicated it to Leopold Auer, partly out of respect and partly because Auer, who was considered the best violinist in the world, had agreed to premiere the piece. But when Tchaikovsky finished writing it, Auer declared it unmusical and unplayable.

The premiere had to be cancelled and that was that for awhile. Then a lesser-known violinist named Nathan Brodsky heard about this piece that was "too hard for Auer" and volunteered to take it on.

Well, you can guess the rest. It became Brodsky's signature piece. The piece is now standard repertoire and there aren't many violinists who graduate from music school who haven't played it. Auer eventually recanted and did his own version which some said was even better than Brodsky's. And today, among the famous performing string quartets in the world (which, by tradition, are often named after famous players) there is an Auer quartet and a Brodsky quartet.

Now, I don't claim to be Tchaikovsky. But the point is that the ball gets advanced on what is possible on any instrument by redefining what is no longer impossible.

Buddy's rendition of Pachalbel was lovely, but the piece is 300 years old. It's hardly groundbreaking for anyone to play it on anything.

My piece is a collision of two traditions: the blues, bluegrass, folk and country steel heritage and the orchestral heritage. Part of the deal in the concert music world is that when you write a concerto for any instrument you try to expand what people know and think can be done on that instrument. Otherwise, to echo Chip, what's the point?

Gary has a chance to do something few other steel players have done - play a piece that will simultaneously enlarge people's concept of what an orchestral plays and what a pedal steel can do. If he pulls it off (and I think he will), he deserves enormous gratitude from steel players - even if you hate what I wrote. Because the steel won't be the same instrument any more.

So, Chip, come on down and decide for yourself whether either Gary or I should have been granted a license;-)

Michael Levine · Posted 27 Mar 2005 5:25 pm

For those who think hard means unlistenable, well, I'm hardly the fairest judge of what my music sounds like. But I can tell you that I love it when folks hum my tunes and tap their feet. (They'll just have to learn to do it in 7/4 now and again.) I don't beleve in conceptual art. Either a piece of music makes sense to your senses or it's a waste of compressed air. But that doesn't mean everything has to boil down to "sonofbitch I'm tired" cliches. (Although I use that one tongue in cheek in the piece.)

As far as posting part of it, I'll do it if I can figure out how to.

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

Michael,
Congrats for getting your piece performed ! Its hard enough writing a piece of music. To go through all the work of dealing with concert halls, funding, musicians and all the rest is a real testament to your caracture. I wish I could be there for it.

------------------
Bob
intonation help

Richard Nelson · From: Drogheda, Louth, Ireland

This instrument must move foreward This is all great news and I hope it all goes well for all those involved.Fortune favours the brave.

Rick Schmidt · From: Prescott AZ, USA

Kudo's for writing this piece Michael! I really wish I could hear it somehow. I'm sure Gary is gonna do a fantastic job. Bravo!

Jim Florence · From: wilburton, Ok. US * R.I.P.

How about some info for those of us who might like to attend such an event?
Is it going to be sold out?
Does one need reservations>
How much, and where to get tickets.
Thanks
Jim

Michael Levine · Posted 30 Mar 2005 12:33 pm

For concert info go to http://www.nco.org/99season.html and scroll down to the bottom.

Besides The Steel Concerto, Jose Feliciano will be performing with the orchestra. It's at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Tickets are $29 and up available at Ticketmaster.

I don't know about availability. It's concert music, so usually that means tix are not a problem, but there is a lot of interest in this show, between my piece and Feliciano.

Chip Fossa · From: Monson, MA, USA (deceased)

Thanks Michael for that in-depth reply.

I wish I could get down to NV to also join in. I'll just have to settle for the reviews.

I also wish you and Gary the very best, with this huge endeavour.

cf

John McGann · From: Boston, Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.

Can't make the gig, but would LOVE to hear it. I wish you guys the best for an excellent performance.

Today's "difficult" music may be tomorrow's hummable tunes. Glad to see someone pushing the envelope and taking chances. I am a fan of everything from Ray Price and Hank Thompson to Alban Berg and Zappa...

------------------
http://www.johnmcgann.com
Info for musicians, transcribers, technique tips and fun stuff. Joaquin Murphey transcription book, Rhythm Tuneup DVD and more...

Forum Index > Upcoming Event Announcements	Goto page 1, 2 Next	Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic