Sunday, May 6, 2012

Eric Lacy's Compositions for Graduate Recital at University of North Carolina Greenville, with Videos of Performances


[Eric Lacy]

Maestro Dingwall Fleary of the Reston Community Orchestra in Reston, Virginia invited an aspiring composer named Eric Lacy to write a work for the 2012 tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Dream of Conscience: A Tribute to MLK was performed at the tribute concert. We subsequently corresponded with Eric, and learned he was preparing for a master's recital at the University of North Carolina Greenville. At our request, the composer described the works he would perform. He now tells us of the recital, and provides YouTube links to the performances:

Eric Lacy
Hi Mr. Zick!

I just completed my graduate recital at UNCG and it was a great experience!  Many of these pieces saw their premiere on April 24.  The only exception would be Three Question Marks which was premiered in November at our student composers concert.  I've included the program notes as well as links to the videos of the performances. 

I hope you and your readers will enjoy them!
Best regards,
Eric Lac
 
Frenzy was composed as a piece of film music describing a chaotic scene in which someone was hiding from a stalker.  During the scene, there are several close calls where the person is almost discovered by the pursuer.  Eventually, the stalker finds his victim and unleashes terror.
 
13 is based upon Psalm 13 in the Old Testament.  The Psalm itself is naturally divided into three movements.  The first movement is a cry from the Psalmist, David, because he feels abandoned by the LORD in his time of need.  The second movement is a plea to God from David to help him during this desperate time.  The third movement is an expression of his joy because of his trust in the LORD. 
 
KLTPZYXM is the first clarinet concerto composed by Eric Lacy.  The idea for this title came from the third movement of Michael Daugherty’s Metropolis Symphony.  A couple of noteworthy aspects of KLTPZYXM are the expressive cadenza in the middle of the concerto and the clarinet solo at the very end.
 
Impulsivity is defined as being motivated by or resulting from the inability to resist certain urges.  Psychologically, impulse control disorders are classified as part of the obsessive-compulsive spectrum.  Trichotillomania is the compulsion to pull out one’s hair and onychophagia is the compulsion to bite one’s nails.  Impulsivity represents a musical expression of these two disorders.
 
Three Question Marks is for solo cello and optional bowed vibraphone.  The initial moments begin with simple gestures of the main motive, which is the driving force that holds the music together.  As a solo cello piece, Three Question Marks is performed mostly rubato in order to bring out the expressive quality of the instrument.  Three Question Marks was originally performed as a cello and vibraphone duo at the Student Composer Concert in 2011.






Impulsivity (First Movement): 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e3CFKpJNwA



Three Question Marks - without bowed vibraphone:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip0eC5wIlnM
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