"I considered [it] to be a kind of farewell to my St Paul Chamber
Orchestra residency, but not as a farewell to the orchestra. This work
features just about all of the principal players and treats all of the
various orchestra sections as soloists. There is also a horribly
difficult honky-tonk piano solo, as well as a fiendish clarinet solo
and a big part for the piccolo trumpet, in addition to a lot of
virtuoso percussion writing. The music is a little hyperactive - very
high energy and quite out of control, but with a slower middle section
for balance."
Bela Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra took the
idea of the solo concerto, wherein one player displays his virtuosity
in contrast to an orchestral background, and expanded it to feature
each section of the orchestra as virtuoso soloists. Witold Lutoslawski
also wrote a Concerto for Orchestra, and The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, by Benjamin Britten, likewise spotlights each symphonic section in soloistic passages. With Too Hot Toccata,
Kernis has added a short, vivid, fun-loving work to this distinguished
canon. A lively theme in the winds and brass opens up the toccata, then
the strings pick up the theme and dance with it. The progression is
virtually perpetual-motion, but it moves forward with a great deal of
syncopation and numerous incisive accents from the percussion. Each
section does indeed get to show off its skills. A string solo passage
introduces a calmer note, quickly succeeded by a passage in swing style
featuring keyboard. Then we return to the compulsive rhythmic patterns
on the opening, and brass and percussion add a jazzy note. By this time
the audience's feet are tapping along with each new beat. A big trumpet
riff brings Too Hot Toccata to a close.
To purchase the CD or download this performance, click here.
Cedille Records is the recording label of The Chicago Classical Recording Foundation, a publicly-supported, not-for-profit, organization devoted to promoting the finest musicians, ensembles, and composers in the Chicago area by producing and releasing their efforts on audiophile-quality recordings. The recordings and their promotion are designed to stimulate interest in these performers and composers and bring their artistry to a wider audience. Cedille Records is also dedicated to promoting interest in neglected areas of the classical repertory by presenting masterpieces that have been overlooked by other recording companies.
Classical Music | Orchestral Music
Aaron Jay Kernis
Too Hot Toccata Play
Recorded on 06/29/2007, uploaded on 03/23/2009
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Kernis wrote Too Hot Toccata in 1996:
"I considered [it] to be a kind of farewell to my St Paul Chamber Orchestra residency, but not as a farewell to the orchestra. This work features just about all of the principal players and treats all of the various orchestra sections as soloists. There is also a horribly difficult honky-tonk piano solo, as well as a fiendish clarinet solo and a big part for the piccolo trumpet, in addition to a lot of virtuoso percussion writing. The music is a little hyperactive - very high energy and quite out of control, but with a slower middle section for balance."
Bela Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra took the idea of the solo concerto, wherein one player displays his virtuosity in contrast to an orchestral background, and expanded it to feature each section of the orchestra as virtuoso soloists. Witold Lutoslawski also wrote a Concerto for Orchestra, and The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, by Benjamin Britten, likewise spotlights each symphonic section in soloistic passages. With Too Hot Toccata, Kernis has added a short, vivid, fun-loving work to this distinguished canon. A lively theme in the winds and brass opens up the toccata, then the strings pick up the theme and dance with it. The progression is virtually perpetual-motion, but it moves forward with a great deal of syncopation and numerous incisive accents from the percussion. Each section does indeed get to show off its skills. A string solo passage introduces a calmer note, quickly succeeded by a passage in swing style featuring keyboard. Then we return to the compulsive rhythmic patterns on the opening, and brass and percussion add a jazzy note. By this time the audience's feet are tapping along with each new beat. A big trumpet riff brings Too Hot Toccata to a close.
More music by Aaron Jay Kernis
Symphony in Waves
Lullaby, from Before Sleep and Dreams
Newly Drawn Sky
Performances by same musician(s)
Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 11 "In the Hungarian Style"
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 (Joachim cadenza)
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 (Barton Pine cadenza)
Symphony in Waves
Symphony No. 2, Op. 24
Partita for Orchestra
Newly Drawn Sky
Classical Music for the Internet Era™
To purchase the CD or download this performance, click here.
Cedille Records is the recording label of The Chicago Classical Recording Foundation, a publicly-supported, not-for-profit, organization devoted to promoting the finest musicians, ensembles, and composers in the Chicago area by producing and releasing their efforts on audiophile-quality recordings. The recordings and their promotion are designed to stimulate interest in these performers and composers and bring their artistry to a wider audience. Cedille Records is also dedicated to promoting interest in neglected areas of the classical repertory by presenting masterpieces that have been overlooked by other recording companies.