''Deus ex Machina'' is a

piano concerto A piano concerto is a type of concerto, a solo composition in the classical music genre which is composed for a piano player, which is typically accompanied by an orchestra or other large ensemble. Piano concertos are typically virtuoso showp ...

by the American composer

Michael Daugherty Michael Kevin Daugherty (born April 28, 1954) is an American composer, pianist, and teacher. He is influenced by popular culture, Romanticism, and Postmodernism. Daugherty's notable works include his Superman comic book-inspired '' Metropolis S ...

. The 33-minute work was jointly commissioned by the Charlotte, Nashville, New Jersey, Rochester and

Syracuse Symphony Orchestra The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra (SSO) was a 79-member orchestra located in Syracuse, New York. In its time it was the 43rd largest orchestra in the United States and performed a variety of programs including the Post-Standard Classics Series and ...

s. It won the 2011

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for

Best Classical Contemporary Composition The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to composers for quality works of contemporary classical ...

for a recording by soloist Terrance Wilson and the

Nashville Symphony Orchestra The Nashville Symphony is an American symphony orchestra, based in Nashville, Tennessee. The orchestra is resident at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. History In 1920, prior to the 1946 founding of the Nashville Symphony, a group of amateur and ...

under the baton of Giancarlo Guerrero. ''Deus ex Machina'' was recorded and released on

Naxos Naxos (; el, Νάξος, ) is a Greek island and the largest of the Cyclades. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. The island is famous as a source of emery, a rock rich in corundum, which until modern times was one of the best ...

along with a work from earlier in Michael Daugherty's career, the ''

Metropolis Symphony ''Metropolis Symphony'' for Orchestra (1988–93) by American composer Michael Daugherty is a five-movement symphony inspired by Superman comics. The entire piece was created over the span of five years with separate commissions for each movement. ...

''. The album was nominated for a total of 5 Grammys.

Program note

The title refers to the Latin phrase, " god from the machine." Each of the three movements of the piano concerto is a musical response by the composer to the world of trains.

Movements

*I. Fast Forward (Di andata veloce) *II. Train of Tears *III. Night Steam

Instrumentation

Instruments used: piano, piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion and strings.

Performance history

The world premiere performance was on March 16, 2007 at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Belk Theater, Charlotte, North Carolina. It was premiered by the Terrence Wilson with the Charlotte Symphony, conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero. In 2010, an arrangement of Deus ex Machina by Bill Locklear was used by the Dutch Fork High School under the direction of Jon Brady and field direction of drum major Clark Cothran. The band placed 10th at the Bands of America Regional in Towson, MD.

Discography

*DAUGHERTY, M.: Metropolis Symphony / Deus ex Machina (T. Wilson piano, Nashville Symphony, Guerrero conductor) 2009, Naxos.

Accolades

In addition to Best Classical Contemporary Composition, it won in the categories of Best Orchestral Performance and

Best Engineered Album, Classical The Grammy Award for Best Engineered Recording, Classical has been awarded since 1959. The award had several minor name changes: *In 1959 the award was known as Best Engineered Record (Classical) *From 1960 to 1962 it was awarded as Best Enginee ...

References

External links

Composer's official websiteProgram Notes for Deus ex Machina
{{Italic title Concertos by Michael Daugherty 2007 compositions Piano concertos 21st-century classical music Music commissioned by the Nashville Symphony Music commissioned by the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra Works about rail transport