Pyrotechnics
General Info
Year: 2019
Duration: c. 15:00
Difficulty: VI (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Murphy Music Press
Cost: Score and Parts – Rental ($500.00) | Score Only (print) - $80.00
Movements
1. Spark - 3:20
2. Embers - 6:25
3. Blaze Away - 5:40
Instrumentation
Full Score
Solo C Trumpet
Solo Flugelhorn/E-flat Trumpet
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III-IV
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Saxophone
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III-IV
Horn in F I-II
Trombone I-II-III
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Piano
Timpani
Percussion, including:
- Bass Drum
- Cabasa
- Chimes
- Drum Set
- Glockenspiel
- Marimba
- Suspended Cymbal
- Tambourine
- Tom-Toms
- Triangle
- Vibraphone
- Wood Block (high)
- Xylophone
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
The title of the concerto, Pyrotechnics, is a play on both definitions of the work. I chose to call it this because I wanted to showcase the virtuosic talents of Jens Lindemann in a "brilliant display," while incorporating elements of fire/fireworks. I meat Jens Lindemann at the 2019 CBDNA Conference Tempe, Arizona, after the premier of my euphonium concerto. He heard the piece premiered by Demondrae Thurman and the TCU Wind Symphony, and upon meeting Jens at a restaurant through Jerry Junkin, Jens wanted me to write a piece for him. I was very shocked, honored and blown away by this request, and so I started writing as soon as I got home from the conference. Typically, I write a piece from left to right very quickly, and rarely go back to change anything once I'm done. For this work, I wrote the movements out of order (which was very different for ne), but upon doing so, I got to go back and made the necessary changes in order to make the concerto more cohesive. This concerto is definitely the biggest undertaking I've ever had to do, and ultimately, I learned and grew a lot as a composer by writing this.
I. Spark
II. Embers
III. Blaze Away
The movement titles are inspired by different states of fire. The first movement is the initial "spark" of flame and features the soloist showing off a taste of their technical and lyrical prowess in a burst of energy, until the fire dies down quickly. The second movement, Embers, features the flugelhorn in a lyrical way and portrays what remains of the fire and how these embers continue to try to fester and grow into something beautiful. The final movement. Blaze Away, is the full release and ignition of a blazing fire, eventually sparking off into streams of fireworks. The soloist and the ensemble let it all go and wail with high energy and intensity, leading to the epic climax of the fireworks show.
Pyrotechnics: Concerto for Trumpet was commissioned by the TCU (Texas Christian University) for the TCU Wind Symphony and its director, Bobby Francis, in dedication to Jen Lindemann, international soloist and professor of trumpet at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. I'm very thankful to Bobby Francis for taking an interest in the piece, wanting to start a commission process, and for supporting me in my musical endeavors, both when I was a student at TCU and beyond. I am also thankful to my alma mater, the TCU School of Music, for the generous support of this new work of mines. I am always forever grateful and honored to be a TCU horned frog.
- Program Note by composer
Media
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- Lambert High School (Suwanee, Ga.) Wind Ensemble (Kevin Morrison, conductor) - 21 December 2023 (2023 Midwest Clinic)
- Ithaca (N.Y.) College Wind Ensemble (Louis Menchaca, conductor; Chris Coletti, trumpet) – 4 February 2023
- Texas Christian University (Fort Worth) Wind Symphony (Bobby Francis, conductor; Jens Lindemann, trumpet) - 13 February 2020 (2020 TMEA Conference, San Antonio)
- Texas Christian University (Fort Worth) Wind Symphony (Bobby R. Francis, conductor; Jens Lindemann, trumpet) – 11 February 2020
- Texas Christian University (Fort Worth) Wind Symphony (Bobby R. Francis, conductor; Jhoan Garcia, trumpet) – 25 November 2019 *Premiere Performance*
Works for Winds by This Composer
Adaptable Music
- Dancing Fire (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Trentadue) (2016/2020)
- Ember Skies (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Trentadue) (2020/2022)
- Havana (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Trentadue) (2018/2020)
- A Hymn for Peace (Flex instrumentation) (2017/2020)
- Lightning Round (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Trentadue) (2022)
- Rocketship! (Flex instrumentation) (2017/2020)
All Wind Works
- All the Day Long (2017)
- Aurora (arr. Trentadue) (2021/2023)
- Christmas in Spain (2016)
- Concerto for Euphonium and Wind Ensemble (2018)
- Concerto for Wind Ensemble (2021)
- Dancing Fire (2016)
- Dancing Fire (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Trentadue) (2016/2020)
- Deep Blue (2022)
- Dual Strides (2022)
- Ecstatic Samba (arr. Trentadue) (2017/2022)
- Ember Skies (2021)
- Ember Skies (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Trentadue) (2020/2022)
- enter data sequence (arr. Trentadue) (2022)
- The Essence of Being (arr. Trentadue) (2021/2022)
- Fantasia for Alto Sax and Marimba (2016)
- Fireworks (2015)
- Flash Fury (2023)
- Galactic Voyage (2018)
- Ignition (2018/2020)
- Havana (2018)
- Havana (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Trentadue) (2018/2020)
- A Hymn for Peace (2017)
- A Hymn for Peace (Flex instrumentation) (2017/2020)
- J.R. (2017)
- Lightning Round (2022)
- Lightning Round (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Trentadue) (2022)
- Metallic Figures
- More than Words... (2020)
- MOTO. See: Symphony Basquiat
- Night Sketches I (2016)
- Nitrous (2020)
- On Shores of Endless Sea (2022)
- Pyrotechnics (2019)
- Requiem for the Unarmed (2020/2022)
- River Memoria (2022)
- Rocketship! (2017)
- Rocketship! (Flex instrumentation) (2017/2020)
- Sangre Royal (2023)
- Shimmering Sunshine (2019). See also: Of Day and Night
- Solace in the Wind (arr. Trentadue) (2020/2023)
- A Song for Tomorrow (2019)
- Summit (2020)
- Symphony Basquiat (2023)
- Tango Oscuro (arr. Trentadue) (2020/2022)
- Unquiet Waters (2020/2023)
- Variation V (arr. Collins) (2020/2022)
- Windborne (2022)
Resources
- Day, K. (2020). Pyrotechnics: Concerto for Trumpet (2020) [score]. Murphy Music Press: [McKinney, Tx.].
- Kevin Day website Accessed 25 November 2019
- Perusal score