The Seas Between Us (2024)

ERIC NATHAN

The Seas Between Us

Concerto for Flute and Orchestra

ORCHESTRAL SCORE

Commissioned by Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting for the Orquesta Filarmónica de la Ciudad de México, Scott Yoo, Music Director

Orquesta Filarmónica del Estado de Chihuahua, Ivan del Prado, Music Director

Orquesta Sinfónica de Yucatán, José Areán, Artistic Director

Orquesta Filharmónica de Boca del Río, Veracruz

Co-Commissioned by New England Philharmonic, Tianhui Ng, Music Director

Dedicated to Alejandro Escuer

In three movements:

I. At Sea (page 1)

II. To Dance (page 29)

III. Beyond Waves (page 69)

INSTRUMENTATION:

Score in C

[Instruments that sound at the octave or double octave are notated at their written pitch]

2 Flutes (2nd doubling Piccolo)

2 Oboes

2 Clarinets in B-flat (2nd doubling Bass Clarinet in B-flat)

2 Bassoons (2nd doubling Contrabassoon)

4 Horns in F

2 Trumpets in C

2 Trombones

Tuba

Timpani

Percussion (3 Players)

Total requirements:

Vibraphone, Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Chimes, Crotales (lower octave), Bass Drum, Snare Drum, Guiro, 2 Maracas, Shaker, Bongos, 4 Triangles (2 med., 2 large), Slapstick, Whistle, Ratchet, Tam-tam (large), 2 Suspended Cymbals, Sizzle Cymbal, China Cymbal, Clash Cymbals, Rain Stick, Piece of Paper

Percussion 1: Suspended Cymbal, Sizzle Cymbal (shared with Perc. 3), Chimes (shared with Perc. 2 and 3), Tam-tam (large), Bass Drum, China Cymbal, 2 Triangles (med., large), Shaker, 2 Maracas, Ratchet

Percussion 2: Xylophone, Vibraphone, Guiro, Glockenspiel (shared with Perc. 3), Snare Drum, Chimes (shared with Perc. 1 and 3)

Percussion 3: Crotales (lower octave), Chimes (shared with Perc. 1), 2 Triangles (med., large), Glockenspiel (shared with Perc. 2), Clash Cymbals, Bongos, Whistle, Rain Stick, Sizzle Cymbal (shared with Perc. 1), China Cymbal (shared with Perc. 1), Suspended Cymbal

Harp

Strings

Duration: ca. 23 minutes

PROGRAM NOTE:

I grew up close to the sea, by a tidal estuary that exhibited a dramatic range of being On a grey, wintry day it could be so still that you could not tell where the sea ended and the clouds began, yet, during a storm, its white-capped waves could thrash so violently you dared not venture too close for risk of being swept away. On clear days, I would stand on the shore and look out across the bay imagining the open sea beyond and the faraway lands that awaited on its opposite shores.

Shortly before writing this piece, flutist Alejandro Escuer’s home was destroyed by sea surf whipped up by a hurricane. I was moved by both the painfulness of this experience but also his and his family’s determination to rebuild. As I began this flute concerto, I took walks by the sea, contemplating the vastness of the ocean, pondering its inherent dualities. The sea brings both destruction and new life as well as an uncertainty of the unknown paired with the rhythmic certainty of the tide that can be even more anticipated than one’s next breath It separates societies from each other and connects them It is a home and the path to new beginnings It encapsulates such strength, gracefulness, madness and beauty.

In this concerto I imagine the solo flute as a protagonist in a drama, a bird-like character with equal measures of innocence and wisdom, like one of poet Emily Dickinson’s birds, emblematic of a hope that perches within Over the course of the work, the solo flute brings the orchestra together and then leads it forward The flutist comforts, mourns, yearns, pleads and dances.

The concerto is structured in three movements. The first, At Sea, begins with us cast away in a vast expanse The second, To Dance, unites disparate elements, beginning with a festive sense of the macabre and ending with the parade-like energy of a big-band jazz march Close in mind were the numerous world traditions that mourn death by celebrating life through dance The final movement, Beyond Waves, begins far removed from the second. The conductor’s sweeping gestures send waves of breathing sound rippling across the stage. There is a processional quality to the music, with music of both violence and intimacy. By the end we find ourselves skyward bound, gently swaying in the quiet. As I wrote the ending, I remembered the hot air balloon ride I took two months prior over the pyramid of Teotichuacán and its Avenue of the Dead I am afraid of heights and so I thought I would be terrified, yet I was instead mesmerized by the gracefulness and solitude of being captive to the whims of the wind. I felt far removed from both my life on the ground below and the immense history of the ancient civilization we floated by, yet also more present on a path to a deeper understanding of both.

The Seas Between Us is commissioned by Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting for the Orquesta Filarmónica de la Ciudad de México, Orquesta Filarmónica del Estado de Chihuahua, Orquesta Sinfónica de Yucatán, and Orquesta Filharmónica de Boca del Río, and cocommissioned by the New England Philharmonic. It is dedicated to flutist Alejandro Escuer.

- Eric Nathan

PERFORMANCE NOTE:

To the Soloist:

The soloist is encouraged to perform as if inhabiting the role of a “character” in a dramatic theatrical play, parable or myt h. This character has a pure spirit that radiates both innocence and wisdom. It possesses qualities that are at times bird-like and others that are elemental and all-knowing. Over the course of the work, the Solo Flute instills hope, brings the orchestra together and leads it forward; it also comforts, mourns, yearns, pleads and dances.

Conductor Gestures:

There is a Conductor staff at the bottom of the score (both the orchestral score and the choral/piano reduction). The Conductor will use their left hand to motion across the ensemble as indicated in the notation.

When cueing sound in the orchestra, the goal is for each wave of sound initiated by Conductor’s sweeping gestures to ripple through the orchestra in ways that change slightly each time. It should evoke the sense of an ocean wave rippling across the orchestra and/or wind rustling the leaves in trees in a forest.

Conductor Notation:

Conductor “paints” with gestures sweeping across ensemble.

Staff notation:

Top line of staff: point to left side of ensemble

Middle line: point to middle of ensemble

Bottom line: point to right side of ensemble

Orchestral Players:

Winds/Brass/Harp – Rustling/Fluttering Sounds and Conductor Gestures:

For the “rustling/fluttering” sounds notated in the score and performance parts, each instrumental player should choose one to three “rustling/fluttering” sounds on their instrument, in any register, with any technique, playing, tapping, striking, stroking, etc. These should sound should be wispy, delicate, like leaves, sea waves or bird feathers and should be unpitched sounds.

In the sections in the instrumental parts marked with slash notation, players should watch the conductor intently and the conductor will gesture in sweeping motions across ensemble (Left / Middle / Right) with their Left Hand. During these sections, players should play when gestured/pointed at by conductor, randomly choosing between the given figures in the Recommended Rustling/Fluttering Sounds each time. Players may choose to perform one of the recommended sounds or invent their own, for the durations listed. Players should memorize these figures for use in the sections marked by slash notation, and only perform these when cued by the conductor.

The goal is for each wave of sound initiated by conductor’s sweeping gestures to ripple through the ensemble in ways that cha nge slightly each time (with some players playing the same figure, and others playing a new figure/duration). It should evoke the sense of an ocean wave rippling across the orchestra and/or that of wind rustling the leaves in trees in a forest.

Strings:

In the sections in the parts marked with slash notation, players should watch the conductor intently and the conductor will gesture in sweeping motions across ensemble (Left / Middle / Right) with their Left Hand During these sections, players should play the boxed figure when gestured/pointed at by conductor, according to the figures printed in each part.

For these sections in Movement III, each player plays the boxed figure independently and asynchronously from one another when cued by the sweeping conducted gesture Before and after being cued each player should continue playing the note being held before the slash notation beings. During the measures with slash notation, players should continue playing the pitches being held and then cresc. / dim. according to the figure given while also exhaling / whispering “Shh” from their mouths audibly according to the same duration and contour as being played on the instrument. The result should be like an ocean wave rippling across the orchestra.

Recommended Rustling/Fluttering Sounds (By Instrument):

Three possible sounds/techniques are given below for three respective durational gestures. Players may use these sounds or invent their own sounds.

Flutes :

:

O b oes

Clarinets

Ba ssoons :

Horns :

Trumpets :

Trombones :

Tuba :

Harp:

Percussion Key:

Commissioned by Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting for the Orquesta Filarmónica de la Ciudad de México, Scott Yoo, Music Director

Orquesta Filarmónica del Estado de Chihuahua, Ivan del Prado, Music Director

Orquesta Sinfónica de Yucatán, José Areán, Artistic Director Orquesta Filharmónica de Boco del Río, Veracruz

Co-Commissioned by New England Philharmonic, Tianhui Ng, Music Director

Dedicated to Alejandro Escuer

e Seas Between Us

Concerto for Flute and Orchestra

I. At Sea

Eric Nathan (b.

To the Soloist: A soliloquy with flighty and conversational turns spanning a range of emotion and character (proclamation, intimacy, playfulness, pleading, sadness, joy). Soloist can explore nuanced transitions of vibrato and tone color on held notes to convey shifts in character. As with the entire concerto, the central qualities of innocence and wisdom are nearby.

Vibraphone

(for each note)

appassionato, crying out

(for each note)

appassionato, crying out

appassionato, crying

II. To Dance

Shaker

Bongos

Raucous; like big-band jazz; parade-like

rustling/fluttering sounds; following conductor gestures

rustling/fluttering sounds; following conductor gestures swirl with brushes (like

Exhale: "shh" trem. on current pitch

continue trem. (swell as cued) continue trem. (swell as cued)

Exhale: "shh" trem. on current pitch

  

Exhale: "shh" trem. on current pitch

  

continue trem. (swell as cued)

Exhale: "shh" trem. on current pitch



continue/hold note

Exhale: "shh" trem. on current pitch

continue/hold note

Blinding; searing

rustling/fluttering sounds; following conductor gestures

rustling/fluttering

rustling/fluttering sounds; following conductor gestures

rustling/fluttering

Exhale:

cantabile, dolce

militaristic, dispassionate,

Gently; swaying

rustling/fluttering sounds; following conductor gestures

(Cl. 1 + Bass)

rustling/fluttering sounds; following conductor gestures

(Bn. 1 + Contra)

rustling/fluttering sounds; following conductor gestures

rustling/fluttering sounds;

Like waves or wind

rustling/fluttering sounds; following conductor gestures

rustling/fluttering

for "waves" to subside)

rustling/fluttering sounds; following conductor gestures

rustling/fluttering

rustling/fluttering sounds; following conductor gestures

rustling/fluttering

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