Alternating Current

From Wind Repertory Project
Adam Silverman

Adam Silverman


Subtitle: Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Ensemble


General Info

Year: 2011
Duration: c. 21:00
Difficulty: VI (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Adam B. Silverman Music Publications
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $200.00; (digital) - $100.00


Movements

1. Shocks and Sparks - 4:50
2. Red Static - 3:30
3. Standing Waves - 6:25
4. Re/charge - 7:55


Instrumentation

Full Score
Solo E-flat Alto Saxophone
Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III-IV
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Tenor Trombone I-II-III
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Piano
Contrabass
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV-V-VI, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Brake Drum
  • Crotales (two octaves)
  • Cymbals (crash, sizzle, and suspended)
  • Glockenspiel
  • Marimba
  • Ratchet
  • Sleigh Bells
  • Snare Drum
  • Tam Tam
  • Tambourine
  • Tom-Toms (3)
  • Tubular Bells (Chimes)
  • Vibraphone
  • Wood Blocks (3)
  • Xylophone


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

A dual resident of New York City and Swarthmore, PA, I composed “Alternating Current” in both cities, shuttling back and forth each week on a bus that departs New York at 34th Street and Eighth Avenue, directly outside of the building where inventor Nikola Tesla (who, in part, developed alternating electric current) lived the last ten years of his life. Having already composed the first pages of this saxophone concerto, it occurred to me that “Alternating Current” would be an aptly descriptive title, as it features alternation (between the soloist and ensemble), a flowing character, and a general sense of electric “charge.” As I continued composing the music, I tried to accentuate these elements by playing on the electric spirit of the sounds being used. The movement titles and some musical choices reflect personal connections to electricity, from red static that resulted from a malfunctioning logic board in my computer to the swift gestational heartbeat of my child, whose impending birth provided a firm deadline for the concerto’s composition.

- Program Note by Adam Silverman


Media

(Needed - please join the WRP if you can help.)

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • Florida State University (Tallahassee) Wind Orchestra (Richard Clary, conductor; Scotty Phillips, alto saxophone) - 20 November 2015
  • West Chester University (West Chester, Penn.) Wind Ensemble (Andrew Yozviak, conductor; Timothy McAllister, alto saxophone) - 29 November 2012


Works for Winds by This Composer


Resources