Concerto for Violin and Orchestra

Violin and Piano Reduction

Julia Perry (composer)

Instrumentation

  • Solo Violin
  • Piano
$24.99
SKU
B3470

Format:

The awardee of two Guggenheim fellowships, Julia Perry studied composition with Luigi Dallapiccola and Nadia Boulanger, and conducted her works on a tour throughout Europe with the Vienna Philharmonic and the BBC Orchestra. She would become one of the first African American female composers to have an orchestral work performed by the New York Philharmonic, in addition to other major American orchestras. Although she had an auspicious and promising career in her early life, it was tragically cut short by a series of strokes leading to partial paralysis and eventually, her death, at age 55 in 1979. Her Violin Concerto, completed in 1968, shows the influence of Dallapiccola’s teachings: sharp harmonic dissonances organized around specific pitch centers, short repetitive patterns that establish significant musical materials, and contrapuntal textures. Her fastidious performance markings in the solo violin part indicate her profound understanding of the instrument. Angular, muscled, and sparkling by turns, this piece is a sophisticated entry to the serious violinist's concert repertoire.

There is no evidence or documentation that the Violin Concerto was ever premiered or performed during Perry's lifetime, despite the fact that the composer prepared a full score, piano reduction and orchestral parts.  The work received its official premiere by Roger Zahab with the University of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Cullyn D. Murphy in February 2022. It has since been performed and recorded by Curtis Stewart and the Experiential Orchestra under the baton of James Blachly, and appears on the ensemble's 2024 album American Counterpoints, which can be found at https://open.spotify.com/album/7j6nhi2VPRtsRqq21kKolU?si=0-Lt8jdvS_iJ55G1fpa7MQ. The work will also be performed by the Experiential Orchestra at the the Julia Perry Centenary Celebration in  March 2024.

SKU: B3470
Ensemble: Full Orchestra Concerto
Duration: 17:00
Publisher: Carl Fischer Music
Product Type: Score and Parts
Accompanied: Concerto
UPC: 6-80160-91805-8
ISBN: 978-1-4911-5946-0
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