Joseph Schwantner In Residence at DePauw University

Indiana’s DePauw University hosts Joseph Schwantner as Composer-in-Residence at the school’s 10th annual Music of the 21st Century festival. From February 15 through 19, Schwantner leads chamber music coaching sessions, orchestra and band rehearsals and a wide range of master classes. The festival features a bounty of performances with twelve of his orchestral and chamber works featured, including his newest orchestral piece Concerto No. 2 for percussion section, timpani and orchestra. Other orchestral performances include New Morning for the World (narrated by Vernon Davis), Percussion Concerto No. I, and Recoil for wind ensemble. Featured chamber works include Black Anemones for voice and piano, Velocities for solo marimba, Soaring for flute and piano, and Sparrows for soprano and ensemble.

Schwantner’s Concerto No. 2 was given its world premiere in November by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hans Graf and was the headline event at the International Percussive Arts Society Conference.  Indianapolis music critic Tom Aldridge writes:

… a splendidly crafted composition from start to finish… by far, the best new percussion concerto I've heard. Schwantner plays by the rules of good composition in allowing all his resources to be heard when they have something to say… the strings, winds, brass and horns all shine forth when they are meant to.

The long-awaited follow up to the composer’s massively popular Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra, Concerto No. 2 is unique in that it is meant to feature an orchestra’s own percussion section and timpanist. The performance at Depauw University will be the first since the premiere in Indianapolis.

On the new recording front, Albany Records has just released a disc featuring flutist Leonard Garrison that includes performances of Schwantner’s Looking Back and Black Anemones. You can purchase your copy here. In addition, the Northwestern University Wind Ensemble has recently released a new disc on Summit Records featuring and the mountains rising nowhere. Purchase the CD and watch a “making of” video here.

Joseph Schwantner-Composer Profile

Joseph Schwantner
Concerto No. 2 (2011)
for percussion section, timpani and orchestra
pic.2.2.ca.2.bcl.1.cbsn-4.2.2.btbn.1-timp.3perc-hp.pno(amplified)-str
30’

and the mountains rising nowhere (1977)
for wind ensemble
6(1.-4.pic)4(3.4.eh)2.4-4.4.4-1timp(4).5perc-amp pno-cb
11’

Black Anemones (1982)
for flute and piano
4’

Looking Back (2009)
for flute and piano
15’