Uploaded December 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
From the "Bill Whelan: Orchestral Works" album by RTÉ Lyric FM is "Riverdance: A Symphonic Suite". Coming from the original famous broadway show (and a personal favorite of mine), "Riverdance", this is the orchestral suite written by the original composer for it, Bill Whelan, in 2012. Riverdance originated when Bill had composed a piece for the interval of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, which is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union.
Bill took this 7-minute work and blew it up into a full-length stage production and spawned a worldwide craze for Irish dancing and Celtic music, also winning him the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.
Bill himself writes in the program notes:
"The idea for a Riverdance Symphonic Suite had been on my radar for some time. Over the years I had often had requests from orchestras around the world for a full-length concert piece containing the music from the show. As my original score incorporated traditional instruments, it was not always easy to assemble the various ethnic elements in countries where pipers and bodhrán players are rare! So what I have done with this new score is to present all the themes from Riverdance in a way that is playable by a full symphony orchestra anywhere in the world, without the traditional musicians. There were two principal challenges – the first was to arrange the themes and melodies as a colourful and dynamic concert piece. The second was to choose the instruments from within the conventional symphony orchestra to appropriately replace the original ethnic instruments and voices."
COMPOSER: Bill Whelan
CONDUCTOR: David Brophy
ORCHESTRA: RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
TRACKLIST:
0:00 - I. Cloudsong
2:05 - II. Reel Around the Sun
6:15 - III. Caoineadh Cú Chulainn
10:50 - IV. The Countess Cathleen - Women of Sidhe
14:23 - V. Firedance
18:59 - VI. Slip into Spring
20:39 - VII. Macedonian Morning
23:51 - VIII. Marta's Dance - The Russian Dervish
27:11 - IX. Lift the Wings
30:51 - X. Andalucía
33:00 - XI. Cloudsong - Riverdance
Please be aware that all of the music (and images) featured in this video belong to their respective owners, and I or this channel does not claim any right over them. I upload these solely for archiving purposes, and for the sharing and enjoyment of great music. Monetization is not enabled. If you are the rightful owner of copyrighted material used and would like the video removed from YouTube, please, instead of reporting/striking my channel, leave a comment below with your statement and I will take the video down effective immediately.
From the "Bill Whelan: Orchestral Works" album by RTÉ Lyric FM is "Riverdance: A Symphonic Suite". Coming from the original famous broadway show (and a personal favorite of mine), "Riverdance", this is the orchestral suite written by the original composer for it, Bill Whelan, in 2012. Riverdance originated when Bill had composed a piece for the interval of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, which is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union.
Bill took this 7-minute work and blew it up into a full-length stage production and spawned a worldwide craze for Irish dancing and Celtic music, also winning him the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.
Bill himself writes in the program notes:
"The idea for a Riverdance Symphonic Suite had been on my radar for some time. Over the years I had often had requests from orchestras around the world for a full-length concert piece containing the music from the show. As my original score incorporated traditional instruments, it was not always easy to assemble the various ethnic elements in countries where pipers and bodhrán players are rare! So what I have done with this new score is to present all the themes from Riverdance in a way that is playable by a full symphony orchestra anywhere in the world, without the traditional musicians. There were two principal challenges – the first was to arrange the themes and melodies as a colourful and dynamic concert piece. The second was to choose the instruments from within the conventional symphony orchestra to appropriately replace the original ethnic instruments and voices."
COMPOSER: Bill Whelan
CONDUCTOR: David Brophy
ORCHESTRA: RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
TRACKLIST:
0:00 - I. Cloudsong
2:05 - II. Reel Around the Sun
6:15 - III. Caoineadh Cú Chulainn
10:50 - IV. The Countess Cathleen - Women of Sidhe
14:23 - V. Firedance
18:59 - VI. Slip into Spring
20:39 - VII. Macedonian Morning
23:51 - VIII. Marta's Dance - The Russian Dervish
27:11 - IX. Lift the Wings
30:51 - X. Andalucía
33:00 - XI. Cloudsong - Riverdance
Please be aware that all of the music (and images) featured in this video belong to their respective owners, and I or this channel does not claim any right over them. I upload these solely for archiving purposes, and for the sharing and enjoyment of great music. Monetization is not enabled. If you are the rightful owner of copyrighted material used and would like the video removed from YouTube, please, instead of reporting/striking my channel, leave a comment below with your statement and I will take the video down effective immediately.
![Amy Beth Kirsten — World Under Glass No. 1 (2011) [w/ score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yPAVz-jVDGE/mqdefault.jpg "Amy Beth Kirsten — World Under Glass No. 1 (2011) [w/ score]
This is Amy Beth Kirsten’s imaginative, formidable piece for bassoon quintet (five bassoons), “World Under Glass No. 1,” commissioned and performed by the acclaimed bassoon quintet, Dark in the Song. Called a “bassoon supergroup” by the American Music Center, Dark in the Song was formed in 2010 by five of the most dynamic and accomplished young players and teachers in the U.S. Its members bring an eclectic, wide-ranging mix of sensibilities and experiences to the group.
Kirsten writes in the program notes:
“World Under Glass No. 1 is inspired by the work of New York artist Thomas Doyle (b. 1976). His astonishing scenes-in-miniature are displayed in what might be described as oversized snow globes. Far from beautiful snowscapes recalling holiday cheer, they portray dark, disturbing (even depraved) secret human moments painstakingly arranged and preserved. From afar, the spectator initially delights in these tantalizing objects resembling a holiday toy. Carefree curiosity slowly draws us near. Upon closer inspection, delight turns to sudden horror. This emotional whiplash stunned, horrified, and eventually inspired me. I didn’t know if I should laugh at how I was fooled or cry for the little tragedies under glass that somehow felt even more extreme expressed this way. Viewing Doyle’s work made music sound in my imagination. This is that music.”
COMPOSER: Amy Beth Kirsten
BASSOON QUINTET: Dark in the Song
Please be aware that all of the music (and images) featured in this video belong to their respective owners, and I or this channel does not claim any right over them. I upload these solely for archiving purposes, and for the sharing and enjoyment of great music. Monetization is not enabled. If you are the rightful owner of copyrighted material used and would like the video removed from YouTube, please, instead of reporting/striking my channel, leave a comment below with your statement and I will take the video down effective immediately.
#scorefollower #contemporaryclassical #classicalmusic")
![John Mackey — Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Wind Ensemble (2007) [w/ score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yiaWdPm2hFc/mqdefault.jpg "John Mackey — Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Wind Ensemble (2007) [w/ score]
John Mackey wrote his brilliant Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Wind Ensemble (2007) with a central idea: the middle three movements outlining the anatomy and components of the saxophone: felt (the pads of the keys), metal (the body), and wood (the reed). Instrumentation is also chosen to essentially match the materials for each movement. The outer movements (Prelude and Finale) showcase the entire wind ensemble.
To more briefly sum up the material in each movement taken from information in the program notes:
Prelude is a very brief overture to the concerto, with material that foreshadows each of the movements to come.
“Felt is the study of the keys on the saxophone, including a lot of virtuosic material in incredibly fast, intricate runs, pitch bending, and alternate fingerings.
Metal is the converse, showing the singing, beautiful quality of the saxophone, scored for mainly metal percussion and brass.
Wood showcases a tango dance that gives homage to the saxophones prevalent use in jazz clubs, and other intimate settings/venues where the instrument performs a very lyrical, memorable melody.
The final movement, Finale, takes an aid, right in the beginning, from John Coriglianos Clarinet Concerto, one of John Mackeys favorite works. This quote is humorously meta, as it is six bars quoting John Coriglianos Clarinet Concerto, which itself is quoting a work by 16th century composer Giovanni Gabrieli, “Sonata Pian e Forte.” Afterwards, the saxophone takes off at lightning speed, showcasing all the virtuosity and master technique a brilliant saxophonist can showcase.
COMPOSER: John Mackey
CONDUCTOR: Jerry Junkin
SOPRANO SAXOPHONE: Stephen Page
BAND: University of Texas at Austin Wind Ensemble
NOTE: This is a live performance! (recorded in Bates Recital Hall on 9/27/2015)
TRACKLIST:
0:00 - Introduction
0:12 - I. Prelude
2:22 - II. Felt
8:05 - III. Metal
15:48 - IV. Wood
20:09 - V. Finale
Please be aware that all of the music (and images) featured in this video belong to their respective owners, and I or this channel does not claim any right over them. I upload these solely for archiving purposes, and for the sharing and enjoyment of great music. Monetization is not enabled. If you are the rightful owner of copyrighted material used and would like the video removed from YouTube, please, instead of reporting/striking my channel, leave a comment below with your statement and I will take the video down effective immediately.
#scorefollower #contemporaryclassical #classicalmusic")
