A Time to Mourn and a Time to Dance (Concerto for Two Violins and Strings)
PUBLISHER Lyric Row Press
DURATION ca. 18 minutes
ORCHESTRATION Two Solo Violins, Strings
Program Note
Avner Dorman - A Time to Mourn and a Time to Dance
Commissioned by:
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, with support from the Voices of Today initiative, Andreas Delfs, music
director
Sejong Soloists, Kyung Kang, Creative and Executive Director, with generous support from Jin Young Lee Kim
Aspen Music Festival and School, Robert Spano, Music Director
Santa Barbara Symphony, Nir Kabaretti, Music & Artistic Director
I had been meaning to write a concerto for Gil and Adele for quite a while. The opportunity to do so came at a
particularly challenging time in the world - especially for my country of origin, Israel, and the Jewish people. The
attack of October 7th and the ensuing war have touched me personally and have cast a cloud over everything during the
past year.
In trying to cope with these events and challenges, I found myself looking for rituals that deal with loss and that
would connect me to the collective experience. I have found that the Jewish tradition often combines practices of
mourning with those of celebration - a combination that holds a deep meaning for me.
The piece is written in four movements. The first is a meditative lament that begins with a soft, distant drone. The
solo violins introduce the main theme - an elegiac melody that incorporates Jewish prayer gestures and the 'sigh' motif
- a descending half step. Through the movement these elements and the theme travel between the soloists and larger
ensemble, ending with a simple solemn prayer.
An upbeat dance in changing meters, the second movement employs the same scales and thematic materials of the first, but
now they serve as the building blocks of an exciting drama. The movement is structured as a series of dance tunes and
various textural explorations, reaching its culmination in a reprise of the harmonic sighs of the opening movement, now
as a cathartic release.
Deeply sorrowful, the third movement opens with the return of persistent drones, and the sigh motif permeates almost
every bar of the melody. The movement is structured like a large triple fugue, beginning with the individual solo
players and slowly spreading throughout the ensemble. After an intense yet still lamentful climax, the movement
continues to slow down as if time stands still - ritualistic, slowly, and softly.
An exuberant and exciting dance, the fourth movement is mostly in an asymmetrical 7/16 meter. Joy, almost forgotten in
the lament, returns in full force, though the material includes both elements of happiness and grief. This joy
acknowledges the pain and sorrow yet embraces the opportunity to dance again.
Scores
Reviews
Reviews will be available after the premiere.
Performances
- World Premiere:
Tuesday, April 8, 2025 - 7:30 PM
Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall
Featuring Gil Shaham, Adele Anthony, and Sejong Soloists Chamber Orchestra - West Coast Premiere:
Saturday, May 17, 2025 - 3:00 PM
The Granada Theatre
Featuring Gil Shaham, Adele Anthony, and the Santa Barbara Symphony conducted by Nir Kabaretti