Avery Claflin’s Teen Scenes is a tender and sympathetic little suite depicting in seven episodes various possible adolescent situations: Confident Freshman, in which the composer, with tongue in cheek, throws in just a hint of fugal pomposity; Baby Sitting, with its appropriate lullaby; the hustle and bustle of Job in Supermarket; the bleakness of Delinquent; Blind Date; Joe’s in Love; and finally, a catapulting Hot Rod.
Robert McBride’s Pumpkin Eater’s Little Fugue (which has a mere suggestion of real fugal treatment) takes “Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater” and “I love Coffee, I Love Tea” and blends them into a charming, skillfully wrought short bit of orchestral good times. His Workout for Small Orchestra, which was originally commissioned by the League of Composers, is divided into three parts: Go Choruses, Sweet, and Fast Swing. It brings the jazz idiom nicely into a small symphonic set-up, and adds a bit of bright jazz piano for flavor. The use of the word “workout” is particularly apt here, because the composer passes his themes from instrument to instrument (especially among his favored woodwinds) and then enjoys them in combination. It is no surprise that this work has been of great interest to dance companies, because it suggests a variety of form and movement within a modern context.
In his Round Dance, Ulysses Kay has derived from the American folk tradition a beautifully reflective theme of his own, which he first treats canonically, then soars with it lyrically and finally comes back to his original, muted home ground. The second piece of this pair mellows down a country fiddle type tune into a fuller string setting, using a theme reminiscent of children’s street-play songs for its middle section and then, in a-b-a style, taking up the fiddle tune again. These two short dances are part of a larger suite of American Dances which were written for the CBS String Serenade in 1953-54.
This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Liner notes are accessible via the link above.
Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia – Roma
Claflin, McBride & Kay: Orchestral Works
| MP3/320 | $12.00 | |
| FLAC | $12.00 | |
| WAV | $12.00 | |
| CD-R | $12.00 |
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
Track Listing
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Teen Scenes: I. Confident Freshman
Avery Claflin
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Teen Scenes: II. Baby Sitting
Avery Claflin
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Teen Scenes: III. Job in Supermarket
Avery Claflin
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Teen Scenes: IV. Delinquent
Avery Claflin
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Teen Scenes: V. Blind Date
Avery Claflin
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Teen Scenes: VI. Joe's in Love
Avery Claflin
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Teen Scenes: VII. Hot Rod
Avery Claflin
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Pumpkin Eater's Little Fugue
Robert McBride
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Workout for Small Orchestra
Robert McBride
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Round Dance
Ulysses Kay
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Polka
Ulysses Kay
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