Bull's-Eye

Viet Cuong

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General Info

Year: 2019
Duration: c. 10:40
Difficulty: (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Viet Cuong Music
Cost: Score and Parts: $125.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute
B-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Saxophone
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet
Horn in F
Piano
Percussion I-II

(percussion detail desired)

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

I’ve always been intrigued by Picasso’s line drawings, where he captures the energy and personality of a subject -- often an animal -- with just a line or two. Picasso’s "Bull" (1945) includes a simple line drawing of a bull in this fashion. However, this drawing is also preceded by a series of ten lithographs depicting his process of simplification and abstraction. The first lithograph is a fully formed bull that, over its next two iterations, increases in opacity and detail. Then, over the next eight panels, layers are gradually peeled away to reveal just the essence of the bull.

While Bull’s-Eye is not an exact one-to-one depiction of these 11 drawings, the piece follows the same narrative: musical material is presented, made more complex, then distilled. The distillation process in the second half of the piece reveals the way the music preceding it is orchestrated, almost as if you were to mute and unmute certain sections of the ensemble.

- Program Note by composer

Bulls-Eye was commissioned by a consortium of 10 universities and organizations led by Nils Landsberg and the University of Kansas.

- Program Note from publisher

Media

Audio: Rehearsal video. University of Kansas Symphonic Band – October 2019
Audio: Reference recording. University of West Georgia (Carrollton) Wind Ensemble (Josh Byrd, conductor)
Audio flash drive: University of West Georgia (Carrollton) Wind Ensemble (Josh Byrd, conductor) – 2020

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.) Symphonic Band (Shawn Vondrian, conductor) - 3 June 2022
University of Utah (Salt Lake City) Wind Ensemble (Rebekah Daniel, conductor) - 29 September 2021
Arizona State University (Tempe) Wind Ensemble (Jason Caslor, conductor) - 24 May 2021
University of Iowa (Iowa City) Symphony Band (Richard Mark Heidel, conductor) - 4 May 2021
Penn State University (University Park) Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Tonya Mitchell-Spradlin, conductor) - 29 April 2021
University of Indianapolis (Ind.) Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Jon Noworyta, conductor) - 25 April 2021
Michigan State University (East Lansing) Wind Symphony (Rebekiah Daniel, conductor) - 21 April 2021
University of Colorado-Boulder Wind Symphony (Zach Cheever, conductor) - 15 April 2021
Dallas (Tx.) Winds (Jerry Junkin, conductor) - 23 March 2021
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) Symphony Band Chamber Winds (Kimberly Fleming, conductor) - 12 February 2021
Oregon State University (Corvallis) Wind Ensemble (Erik Kar Jun, conductor) - 24 October 2020
University of West Georgia (Carrollton) Wind Ensemble (Josh Byrd, conductor) – 22 February 2020 (CBDNA 2020 Southern Division Conference, Natchitoches, La.)

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

Syzygy (Flex instrumentation) (2019/2020)

All Wind Works

Bull's-Eye (2019)
Concerto for Tuba (2019)
Cymbalisms
Diamond Tide (2015)
Electric Aroma (2017/2018)
Extra Fancy
Full Circle (2019)
Heart on Fire (2022)
Howls and Hymns (2017)
Lasting Light (2018)
Moth (2013)
Moxie (tr. Sedatole) (2018/2021)
Re(new)al (2016/2018)
Rule of 3 (2021)
Sound and Smoke (2011)
Syzygy (2019)
Syzygy (Flex instrumentation) (2019/2020)
Thu Điếu (2017)
Vital Sines (2022)

Resources

"BULL’S-EYE for Chamber Winds by Viet Cuong (1990, USA)." WASBE, 29 March 2021. Web. Accessed 30 March 2021
Viet Cuong website Accessed 5 February 2020