33 Results for : neared

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    Heroes Music for Brass By Kerry Turner
    International Horn Society Review: 'The extraordinary talent of Kerry Turner is on display here - this time as a composer of works for brass and percussion. Kerry Turner conducts some of the works and makes a 62-second solo appearance as a vocalist - a very nicely performed introduction to Ghost Riders. Although Kerry remains best known for his stellar performances and recordings with the American Horn Quartet, as his list of compositions grows, the performances and recordings of these works will soon place his name with the finest contemporary composers.' 'I enjoyed every bit of this CD: the compositions, the performances, and the recorded sound are all exceptional.' CS "The Horn Call" (International Horn Society) February 2007, pg 92. KERRY DREW TURNER (1960) was born into a very musical family on the famous King Ranch in southern Texas. He began composing at the age of ten and winning prizes two years later. Since 1984 Mr. Turner has held principal horn positions of the Gürzenich Orchestra of Cologne, Germany and the Symphony Orchestra of Radio-Tele-Luxembourg. In 1987 he was Bronze Medallist at the 39th Prague Spring International Music Competition on horn and has gained worldwide renown as a member of the American Horn Quartet. The music of Kerry Drew Turner is often pictorial if not programmatic. It can tell a story, relive a dream or depict an historical moment. Like other composers before him, Mr Turner draws from the musical heritage of his native land, in this case the folk music of Texas with it's strong Irish/Scottish roots. These influences are clearly audible in his music that is rich in color, energy and imagination as well as universal in it's appeal. HEROES (1997) is a three movement tone-poem for large brass ensemble and pays homage to three inspiring people in history who have displayed undaunted courage. I. Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922) was 'one of the most indomitable and, in some ways, the most luckless of the Antarctic explorers of the early twentieth century.' In 1914, as captain of The Endurance, he and his crew were forced to abandon ship when it became trapped and pulverized in the Antarctic pack-ice. Unable to communicate with the rest of the world, Sir Earnest lead his men to a bleak, barren beach on Elephant Island. From there he and six of his men sailed a small lifeboat almost 1000 miles across stormy, frozen seas to South Georgia Island where he and two others scaled the 4,023 meter Mount Erebus in order to reach a tiny whaling station on the other side. He returned to Elephant Island aboard a self-chartered steamer to find all of his crew alive and well. In the face of total catastrophe, Sir Ernest Shackleton risked all dangers to bring his entire crew back safely to England. II. Stoning of Saint Stephen (died AD 36?) was the first Christian martyr. He was taken before the Sanhedrin on a charge of blasphemy. Standing fearlessly before a powerful group of men who hated him, he gave what is considered one of the most eloquent speeches of all time, calmly defending his faith while being mocked and derided by the court and crowd. Not allowed to conclude his own defence, he was condemned to death by stoning. Members of the assembly saw something marvellous in his face before he died, as he proclaimed to see the very heavens open above him. It has been said that this man came closer to being an angel than any man who has ever lived. III. Amelia Earhart (1898-1937) was a famous American female aviator. She was noted for her flights across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. In June 1937 she began a flight around the world with her navigator Fred Noonan. As they neared the tiny Howland Island in the Pacific, their fuel ran very low and they lost all communication due to stormy weather. An extensive search by planes and ships of the United States Navy failed to discover any trace of the lost flyers, and their fate remains a mystery. Those who knew her spoke of a courage beyond measure. In the middle of this movement, the listener will hear an impression of Amelia Earhart's final radio communication, represented by the celesta above the background sounds of an airplane engine. THE CASBAH OF TETOUAN was conceived during a visit to Morocco in the summer of 1988. The composer offers the following anecdote: 'As we crossed the Straits of Gibraltar and first laid eyes on the North African coast, I knew we were in store for an adventure! The city of Tetouan was our destination, we were soon standing before it's main gates. As we entered the city, the many exotic new sights, complementing the wild sounds and smells of the bustling ancient city, overran our ices and grains, and silk. Street butchers displayed slaughtered lambs, goats and pigs, and a snake charmer with his cobra unnerved the unwary passerby. Somewhere around the urine-treated leather goods things began to swim before my eyes. After I informed the guide that I was ill, a young boy was sent to escort me to a quiet place. The boy knew every secret passage and shortcut in the Casbah. He led me through ever tinier streets and tunnels, across nomad camps, and even through a kitchen! We sailed through the back door of a mosque, and out the other side. Finally we entered a large, dark and cool house, which seemed to be some sort of palace. The boy led me to a back room and laid me down upon a bed of large pillows. I passed out. I awoke thoroughly disoriented. The first things I saw were six elaborately cloaked elderly men, wildly discussing in Arabic what could possibly be wrong with me, I heard exotic music and aromatic food assailed my senses. After closer observation I discovered I was in a fancy restaurant, being entertained by a belly dancer. Somehow my wife and brother found me and we resumed our inspection of Tetouan. I still felt lightheaded and rather doped by the 'therapeutic' tea, my impressions of the city were somewhat hallucinogenic.' FAREWELL TO RED CASTLE (1985) is based on a traditional Scottish pipe march presumably inspired by the Red Castle of Beauly Firth, possibly the oldest inhabited castle in Scotland. Originally written for string orchestra this piece has also been recorded in a version for 8 horns bythe American Horn Quartet with the NY Philharmonic horn section and receives it's world premier on this recording in a version for Brass Octet. The form is traditionally a theme with 4 variations and a finale. GHOST RIDERS (1994) (Brass Octet & Optional Voice) was inspired by a traditional Western American folk song. It tells of a cowboy who, while riding the range, has a terrifying encounter with a ghostly herd of cattle. In the vision a ghost rider warns him to better his sinful ways or end up riding with the devil herd for the rest of eternity. The opening text is as follows: 'A cowpoke went a-ridin' out one dark and windy day, He rested on his saddle as he rode along the way, When all at once a mighty herd of red eyed cows he saw, Thundrin' through the windy sky and on a cloudy drive. Yippie i ay Yippie i oh, Ghost riders in the sky.' THE LABYRINTH (1995/6) is for large brass ensemble and percussion. The inspiration of the piece came from a dream where one stands before the gate of a giant labyrinth. It contains countless corridors through which to pass in order to successfully exit the maze. Each corridor has it's own character, colors and sounds, each very different from the others. The traveler, the gate, each corridor and even the labyrinth itself has a theme or motive of it's own. Shortly after entering the mysterious maze, one is raced through a sequence of corridors, some dead-ends and some leading on to still others until, after a small surprise, he bursts through a window to escape into open 'free' sound. IMPROVISATION (1998) is named after the circumstances in which the piece was written. Starting with several different motives, the piece was composed while traveling, started with 5 days to kill in Chicago and finished on a flight to Melbou
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    Sparrows
    With Sparrows, Mary Pickford once again gave her audience what they wanted by playing "the hoyden, the protector, the fighter." Mary stars as the oldest of a dozen children held hostage at what was then called a "baby farm" where children of unwed mothers or deserted wives were deposited and then sold illegally to adoptive parents or as slave labor. By creating an empathetic melodrama that pulled on the heart strings, Pickford helped put a spotlight on this evil and increased public awareness and outrage. Directed by William Beaudine, with a stunning set created by Harry Oliver and filmed by three world class cinematographers, Charles Rosher, Karl Struss and Hal Mohr, Sparrows is a beautifully stylized epic, completed just as the industry neared the end of the silent era. Mary's acting is not only superior, but this is her least glamorous role ever, she had to be a very confident actress to play such a character.The Library of Congress reconstructed Sparrows from the highest quality film elements, a 35MM nitrate print and a 35MM safety dupe negative. The Mary Pickford Foundation scanned the preservation elements in 4K and worked closely Roundabout Entertainment, Inc. To complete all digital work. The Foundation then commissioned an original orchestral score by Cameron and Taylor Graves which was produced and recorded at the Savannah Studios in Los Angeles.
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    Tunnel
    Shadow Merchant got it's start in 2007 when radiologists Dr. Sean Reiter and Dr. Paul McGinnis, while working in the same practice, discovered that they shared an affinity for prog rock. Both were experienced musicians- guitarist Reiter had been in a band that opened for one his favorite groups, Kansas, while McGinnis was a longtime drummer with a style reminiscent of Rush's Neal Peart and Dream Theater's Mike Portnoy. The two radiologists began to rehearse together and, before long, Reiter had composed an album's worth of material for the teaming - a concept album he called 'The Tunnel'. Still, they needed some more members to turn their duo into a full band. Reiter asked a friend who was involved with music if he knew anyone who: a) played bass b) sang c) wanted to be in a progressive rock band It turns out his friend did know someone- his son-in-law, Howard Whitman, who had an extensive background as a professional musician, playing bass and singing in a variety of local cover bands. It just so happened that Whitman was also a lifelong devotee of the prog, and had longed to be in a band in which he could play bass with the aggressive style of Chris Squire. Another friend of Reiter and McGinnis joined on keyboards and, by 2008, the first incarnation of Shadow Merchant was born. After a set at a private party (which was a resounding success), the quartet began to develop Reiter's songs to turn them into an album. But over time, the original keyboardist decided to move on. The now-trio set about finding a new fourth member and, after a series of auditions, met up with New Jersey-based keyboardist Donald A. Henney, Jr. Don was the perfect missing link the band was looking for, bringing sturdy musicianship, and composing/arranging skills, as well as advanced keyboard technology to the group. By 2011, Shadow Merchant v2.0 was playing professional gigs, starting at Northeast Philly's famed Whisky Tango nightclub. In November of that year, they were invited by NYC-based InsideOut recording artists JOLLY to be on the bill of a night of prog rock at The Legendary Dobbs in South Philly. While continuing work on it's CD, Shadow Merchant further developed as a live band, playing gigs at the North Star Bar and other locations in 2012. That year, Philadelphia classic rock radio station WMGK introduced a new contest, Rock MD, a 'battle of the bands' competition for local groups that featured at least one physician as a member. Based on the strenth of a video for it's original song 'Noah', Shadow Merchant was named a finalist in Rock MD 2012 and played at the Keswick Theatre (former site of RoSfest) on 10/11/12. 2013 saw the band return to The Legendary Dobbs, and play other shows including the Rockin' Docs benefit held in May at Philadelphia's World Cafe Live. As recording of 'The Tunnel' CD neared completion, Shadow Merchant was again named a finalist in the 2013 Rock MD competition and returned to the Keswick on 10/09/13. 2014 saw the band return to the World Cafe Live and to be on the bill at the international progressive rock festival, RoSfest, in Gettysburg. Shadow Merchant describe themselves as a classic progressive rock band with a modern twist. Their unique style also has elements that echo some of their most important influences such as Rush, Kansas, Porcupine Tree, Dream Theater, Yes, Genesis, and ELP.
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