Some key stats.<\/strong><\/h3>\nComposer with most pieces on the list:<\/strong> Mozart (8 pieces)<\/p>\nOther composers who did well<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Beethoven (6)<\/li>\n
- Shostakovich (5)<\/li>\n
- Philip Sawyers (4)<\/li>\n
- Mendelssohn (4)<\/li>\n
- David Yang (4)<\/li>\n
- Britten (3)<\/li>\n
- Tchaikovsky (3)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
I\u2019m pleased to see that there are two living composers on that list, plus two composers whose life-spans overlapped with mine (Britten and Shostakovich).<\/p>\n
\u00a0Other points of interest:<\/strong><\/p>\nI conducted only two Beethoven symphonies this year, which is low for me, and I conducted them on consecutive days. I also conducted two Mendelssohn symphonies this year, also on consecutive days with the same two orchestras. This was completely accidental. I was very excited to conduct two symphonies by Bruckner for the first time in a calendar year (albeit not on the same weekend), although I\u2019d known the 7th<\/sup> backwards for most of my life and had workshopped it before. The Second was completely new to me, and I can\u2019t wait to do it again. It\u2019s now on my \u201cI really have to record\u201d list.<\/p>\nOn the other hand, in 2013, I didn\u2019t conduct any Mahler symphonies<\/i><\/b> at all- a first since I started doing repertoire reports. Fortunately, I\u2019ll do at least 3 next year (No.s 7, 5 and 4). 2013 was the fifth year in a row I recorded a major orchestral work(s) of Hans G\u00e1l. Now that the symphonic cycle is in the can, can I keep that momentum going? We\u2019re hoping to record the Cello Concertino soon, but everything is still in pencil. Once we get the recording of the First done, I\u2019ll need to take some time to see what we can do next on that front.<\/p>\n
The bad news this year? <\/b>No Bart\u00f3k, no Stravinsky, no Debussy, no Ravel, no Janacek, no Messsiaen, no Prokofiev. Did I really not conduct a Brahms or Haydn symphony all year? Crikey. The good news? <\/b>Finally, a year with more than one work by a \u201cNew Viennese\u201d school composer (Schoenberg and Berg).<\/p>\n
Speaking of firsts-<\/b> 2013 is the first year in which any of my own music has appeared on one of these lists. Thanks to the combined miracles of deadlines, shame, pressure, coffee, support-from-friends, determination, booze and fear-of-failure I managed to finally shake off 15+ years of writers block and finish and perform two decent sized pieces. I\u2019m not sure premiering your own music is ideal, but it sure is humbling- you sit down at the instrument knowing every note, but not being able to play any of them well.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a longer list than the most recent one from 2011: 84 works versus 66. 2010 was a bit longer at 90 pieces<\/a>. What pleases me, however, is that I think it\u2019s the most interesting list I\u2019ve come up with so far in my career. There are a lot of major pieces on here that anyone would consider a rare privilege to perform, works that are difficult to play or program, particularly dark or forbidding (Berg Chamber Concerto, Sibelius 4, Shostakovich 14- all from the month of June- spring to mind), contemporary works (I count 19 living composers). Also, all those composers with *\u2019s (10-11 new composers for me this year): it\u2019s so important and inspiring for performers to learn new musical languages. For instance- I\u2019d never conducted anything by John Adams- learning the Violin Concerto took a lot of work, but understanding it took way more, and was incredibly rewarding. I expect to do more of his music in the years ahead.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Here’s the full list:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n- John Adams –\u00a0Violin Concerto\u00a0 * +<\/li>\n
- Beethoven\u00a0Overture \u2013 Creatures of Prometheus<\/li>\n
- Beethoven- Overture \u201cEgmont\u201d<\/li>\n
- Beethoven \u2013 String Trio in E-flat, Op. 3 vc<\/li>\n
- Beethoven- String Quartet in E flat, opus 127 vc<\/li>\n
- Beethoven- Symphony no. 2<\/li>\n
- Beethoven \u2013 Symphony no 4<\/li>\n
- Berg –\u00a0Concerto for Piano, Violin & 13 +<\/li>\n
- Bernstein- On the Waterfront +<\/li>\n
- T. Brady \u2013 \u201cWe\u2019re Hardcore\u201d \u00a0* +<\/li>\n
- Brahms- Violin Concerto 2x<\/li>\n
- Britten\u00a0Les Illuminations 2x<\/li>\n
- Britten \u2013 Sinfonietta +<\/li>\n
- Britten \u2013 Variations on a Theme of FrankBridge, Op.10<\/li>\n
- Bruckner- Symphony no. 2 +<\/li>\n
- Bruckner- Symphony no. 7 in E major <\/em><\/em><\/li>\n
- Andrea Clearfield\u00a0– \u201cThree Tenses of Light\u201d for string quartet and chorus vc * +<\/li>\n
- Melissa Dunphy\u00a0– \u201cCaptain Samuels Speaks to the Sea\u201d for string trio and narrator 2x vc *<\/li>\n
- Dvorak- Symphony no. 6 in D major<\/li>\n
- Elgar- Sea Pictures (world premiere of new choral arrangement by Donald Fraser *) rec +<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- G\u00e1l- Concertino for Cello and Strings +<\/li>\n
- G\u00e1l- Symphony no. 1 rec +<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- Peter Gilbert\u00a0– Awake and Shine for acoustic guitar and string quartet vc * +<\/li>\n
- Handel- Messiah<\/li>\n
- Haydn- Cello Concerto no. 2 in D major (soloist)<\/li>\n
- Haydn- Trumpet Concerto<\/li>\n
- Holst- A Somerset Rhapsody +<\/li>\n
- Andrew Keeling- Piano Quartet * +<\/li>\n
- Tom Kraines- Hansel and Gretel vc rec<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- Kr\u00e1sa \u2013 Tanec &\u00a0Passacaglia and Fuga<\/li>\n
- Gyorgi Kurtag \u2013 Signs, Games and Messages * +<\/li>\n
- Martin Kutnowski- How the Toad Got His Spots vc rec<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- Gerald Levinson-Three Fables by Robert Lax\u00a0 vc rec<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- Mahler- Piano Quartet +<\/li>\n
- Mendelssohn- Overture \u201cHebrides\u201d<\/li>\n
- Mendelssohn- Violin Concerto no. 2 in E minor<\/li>\n
- Mendelssohn\u00a0Symphony No. 1<\/li>\n
- Mendelssohn- Symphony no. 3 \u201cScottish\u201d<\/li>\n
- Mozart- Serenade: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik<\/li>\n
- Mozart \u2013 Don Giovanni Overture<\/li>\n
- Mozart- Clarinet Concerto<\/li>\n
- Mozart \u2013 Oboe Concerto<\/li>\n
- Mozart –\u00a0Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, K.453<\/li>\n
- Mozart- Requiem in D minor<\/li>\n
- Mozart –\u00a0Wind Serenade No. 10, K. 361, Gran Partita<\/li>\n
- Mozart\u00a0Symphony No. 33 +<\/li>\n
- Penderecki \u2013 String Trio +<\/li>\n
- Jay Reise- The Warrior Violinist vc rec * +<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- Respighi- Ancient Airs and Dances Suite no. 2 +<\/li>\n
- Philip Sawyers- Overture \u201cThe Gale of Life\u201d<\/li>\n
- Philip Sawyers- Concertante for Violin, Piano and Strings rec<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- Philip Sawyers- Cello Concerto 2x rec +<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- Philip Sawyers- Symphony no. 2 rec<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- Schnittke –\u00a0String Trio<\/li>\n
- Schoenberg- Verklarte Nacht vc rec +<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- Schubert \u2013 Rosamunde Overture<\/li>\n
- Schumann- Symphony no. 1 \u201cSpring\u201d rec<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- Shostakovich –\u00a0Cello Concerto\u00a0 No. 1<\/li>\n
- Shostakovich- Chamber Symphony opus 83a (arr. 4th Quartet)<\/li>\n
- Shostakovich- String Quartet no. 8<\/li>\n
- Shostakovich Symphony no. 5<\/li>\n
- Shostakovich- Symphony no14 +<\/li>\n
- Sibelius- Symphony no. 2<\/li>\n
- Sibelius \u2013 Symphony no 4 +<\/li>\n
- Kile Smith- The BremenTown Musicians vc<\/li>\n
- Kile Smith\u00a0– \u201cPlain Truths\u201d for baritone, chorus, string quartet (expanded,\u00a0World Premiere), vc +<\/li>\n
- Suk- Serenade for Strings + *<\/li>\n
- Toru Takemitsu- Death and Resurrection * +<\/li>\n
- Tchaikovsky- Andante Cantabile (arr. String Orchestra) +<\/li>\n
- Tchaikovsky- Violin Concerto<\/li>\n
- Tchaikovsky- Symphony no. 2 \u201cLittle Russian\u201d<\/li>\n
- Ullmann (arr. Woods)- Chamber Symphony opus 43a<\/li>\n
- Andrew Waggoner- The Emperor\u2019s New Clothes vc rec <\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- Walton- Cello Concerto (soloist) +<\/li>\n
- Weber- Oberon Overture<\/li>\n
- Kurt Weill \u2013 A Little Threepenny Music \u2013Suite for Wind Ensemble +<\/li>\n
- Weinberg –\u00a0String Trio\u00a0vc * +<\/li>\n
- Tom Whitman- The Princess and the Man with a Pure Heart vc rec <\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- Kenneth Woods- The Ugly Duckling vc rec wp+ *<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- Kenneth Woods\u00a0– \u201cDemonstrations\u201d for electric guitar and string trio vc rec wp +<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- David Yang- Lubin, from Chelm vc rec<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- David Yang- Two Brothers vc rec<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- David Yang- The Matzoh Ball Man vc rec +<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- David Yang- Three Wishes vc rec+<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n