''Javelin'' is a composition for orchestra by American composer
Michael Torke
Michael Torke (; born September 22, 1961) is an American composer who writes music influenced by jazz and minimalism.
Torke was born in Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he attended Wilson Elementary School, graduated from Wauwatosa East High ...
. It was finished in 1994.
Composition
''Javelin'' was commissioned by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympics, which was about to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is an American orchestra based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The ASO's main concert venue is Atlanta Symphony Hall in the Woodruff Arts Center.
History
Though earlier organizations bearing the sam ...
. It was premiered in the
Woodruff Arts Center
Woodruff Arts Center is a visual and performing arts center located in Atlanta, Georgia. The center houses three not-for-profit arts divisions on one campus. Opened in 1968, the Woodruff Arts Center is home to the Alliance Theatre, the Atlan ...
in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, by the
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is an American orchestra based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The ASO's main concert venue is Atlanta Symphony Hall in the Woodruff Arts Center.
History
Though earlier organizations bearing the sam ...
under
Yoel Levi
Yoel Levi (; born 16 August 1950) is an Israeli musician and conductor.
Early life
Born in Romania, Levi grew up in Israel.
He studied at the Tel Aviv Academy of Music, receiving a Master of Arts degree with distinction. He continued studies a ...
, on September 8, 1994.
It was also performed in the
opening ceremony
An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly constructed location or the start of an event. of the
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
, which took place in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
.
It was later published by
Boosey and Hawkes
Boosey & Hawkes is a British music publisher, purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass, string and woodwind musical instruments.
Formed in 1930 throu ...
.
Structure
The composition is in one movement and takes approximately 9 minutes to perform. The composition is in the key of
A major
A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor.
The A major scale is:
Changes needed for the ...
.
It is scored for a large orchestra. It has both the structure and the external appearance of an overture, even though it is not marked as such in the score. According to the composer, he had three things in mind when composing the piece:
* The orchestra had to be used as a virtuosic instrument
* The use of triads (three-note tonal chords) should be present along the score
* The music had to be thematic
Even though it consists of 591 measures, the playful, fast tempo resembles the swiftness of javelins. The strictly tonal character of this composition has led some critics to compare the style used by Torke with other classical composers, rather than modern and contemporary composers. According to Torke, this is his "most
John Williams
John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...
-like composition".
Arrangements
Merlin Patterson wrote an arrangement of this piece in 1997 for
wind ensemble
A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion famil ...
. It was recorded by the
University of Kansas Wind Ensemble under
Paul W. Popiel in 2013. The arrangement was commissioned by the
University of Houston School of Music and conductor
Eddie Green.
Recordings
This composition has been recorded several times by renowned conductors and orchestras:
*
Yoel Levi
Yoel Levi (; born 16 August 1950) is an Israeli musician and conductor.
Early life
Born in Romania, Levi grew up in Israel.
He studied at the Tel Aviv Academy of Music, receiving a Master of Arts degree with distinction. He continued studies a ...
first recorded the piece with the
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is an American orchestra based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The ASO's main concert venue is Atlanta Symphony Hall in the Woodruff Arts Center.
History
Though earlier organizations bearing the sam ...
on November 14, 1995, in Atlanta's Symphony Hall. The recording was released by
Argo Records
Argo Records was a record label in Chicago that was established in 1955 in music, 1955 as a division of Chess Records.
Originally the label was called Marterry, but bandleader Ralph Marterie objected, and within a couple of months the imprint w ...
.
*
John Williams
John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...
conducted the
Boston Pops Orchestra
The Boston Pops is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart.
Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Symphony Orc ...
in January 1996, in the
Symphony Hall of
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. The recording was released by the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
.
*
Marin Alsop
Marin Alsop (; born October 16, 1956) is an American conductor. She is the first woman to win the Koussevitzky Prize for conducting and the first conductor to be awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. She is music director laureate of the Baltimor ...
and the
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) () is a Scottish orchestra, based in Glasgow. It is one of the five national performing arts companies of Scotland. Throughout its history, the Orchestra has played an important part in Scotland’s ...
released a recording in February 2002 under
Naxos Records
Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records, which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about ...
. The recording took place in the
Henry Wood Hall in
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
.
*
Paul W. Popiel and the
University of Kansas Wind Quintet released a 1997 adaptation of the original work by Merlin Patterson. This adaptation was recorded again by Naxos in April 2012.
References
{{Portal bar, Classical music, Music
Compositions by Michael Torke
1994 compositions
Compositions for symphony orchestra
Contemporary classical compositions
Commissioned music
1996 Summer Olympics