Composer's note

Dedicated to the free agent in every musician’s heart, Play celebrates playfulness and collective creativity in music-making. Energetic, boisterous, cheeky, and zestful, the fast pace of this compact endeavor reflects the intensity of the musician’s will to interact with the audience and each other. Playing with the hierarchy on which the orchestra functions, I have carved out enclaves of self-determination, allowing orchestra members to communicate and connect across otherwise rigid structures. Core modes of operation – act and react, lead and follow, speak and listen – should be widely recognizable to the listener through their own sport and board game experience. Affirmative, lively, and embedded in the group dynamics of the orchestra, these tactics emphasize the importance of play in culture and society. Homo ludens. Play is a match with only winners, but as the saying goes, it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it is how you play the game.

Instrumentation

3 Flutes (2nd and 3rd doubling Piccolo)

3 Oboes

3 Clarinets in Bb (3rd doubling Bass Clarinet in Bb)

3 Bassoons (3rd doubling Contra Bassoon)

4 Horns

3 Trumpets in Bb

3 Trombones

1 Tuba

Timpani

Percussion 1

Bass Drum

Paper to crumple

Pail of Stones

small Thunder Sheet

Ratchet mounted on a stand

Referee’s Whistle (high)

Percussion 2

Glockenspiel

large Ride Cymbal

Paper to crumple

Pail of Stones

small Thunder Sheet

Ratchet mounted on a stand

Referee’s Whistle (low)

Strings