Kernis THEMATIC CATALOG 2014

MUS IC IN COLOR

WORKS B YAARON JAY K ERN I S

Sometimes, when I'm imagining music, I see colors. Not just the colors around me, but

colors in my mind that themusic evokes. At times akey, a sound or a chordbring out mixtures of subtle or bold hues, orsimply bright and singularones. The images in thiscatalog express texturesand emotions which emerge

from colors I "see,"whether simple or

saturated, illuminating in a very personal way what itfeels like to create music.

AARON JAY KERNIS

Symphonic Journeys“dream of the morning sky” (solo sop) 23'

Symphony in Waves 30'

Second Symphony 25'

Colored Field (vc or Eng hn solo) 40'

Color Wheel 22'

Symphony of Meditations (Symphony No. 3) 72'(sop/bar/chorus)

Rich Orchestral ColorFive Etudes by Debussy (arr. by Kernis) 20'

Invisible Mosaic III 17'

Newly Drawn Sky 17'

New Era Dance 6'

Too Hot Toccata 6'

Whisper, Echo, A Cry 6'

On Wings of Light 3'

The limitless color palette of the orchestra -the vast emotional tangle of the symphonic is where I feel so engaged, challenged, yet at home.

Hearing cantorial music as a small child was a formative experience: echoes of the sobbing beauty and dark intensity from Jewish traditions have marked my efforts from the start.

Works on Jewish ThemesORCHESTRA

Symphony of Meditations (Symphony No. o. 3)(sop/bar/chorus) 72'


Viola Concerto 30'

Lament and Prayer (solo vn/str orch/ob/hp/perc) 25'

a Voice, a Messenger (tpt/wind ens) 22'

Simple Songs (sop or ten/ch orch or ch ens) 20'

CHAMBER VOCAL AND CHORAL

Still Movement with Hymn (vn/va/vc/pno or vn/cl/vc/pno) 28'

Trio in Red (cl/vc/pno) 16'

Death Fugue (bass bar/db/2 perc) 11'

Aria-Lament (vn) 9'

Nocturne (sop/2 glock/2 pno) 5'

Two Meditations (chorus/org) 14'

Praise Ye the Lord (chorus) 5'

Song of You (chorus) 4'

ConcertosColored Field (vc or Eng hn) 40'

Viola Concerto 30'

Double Concerto for Violin and Guitar 30'

Three Flavors (pno) 28'

Toy Piano Concerto 28'

Lament and Prayer (vn) 25'

Valentines (sop) 25'

Dreamsongs (cello) 22'


Simple Songs (sop or ten) 20'

Concierto di “Dance Hits” (gtr) 12'

Air (vn or cello) 11'

I love writing music that sings and challenges... the play of lyricism and drama is so crucial in creating music for stellar soloists.

ORCHESTRA

Double Concerto for Violin and Guitar (with orch) 30'

Dreamsongs (vc/orch) 22'

Concierto di “Dance Hits” (gtr/str orch) 12'

Too Hot Toccata 6'

New Era Dance 6'

CHAMBER

Two Movements (with Bells) (vn/pno) 17'

100 Greatest Dance Hits (gtr/str quartet) 15'

Ballad (8 vc or vc/pno) 8'

Three Superstar Etudes No. 1-3 (pno) 4'; 4'; 9'Waltz for Linda (pno) 3'

Speed Limit Rag (pno) 3'

ConcertosColored Field (vc or Eng hn) 40'

Viola Concerto 30'

Double Concerto for Violin and Guitar 30'

Three Flavors (pno) 28'

Toy Piano Concerto 28'

Lament and Prayer (vn) 25'

Valentines (sop) 25'

Dreamsongs (cello) 22'


Simple Songs (sop or ten) 20'

Concierto di “Dance Hits” (gtr) 12'

Air (vn or cello) 11'

POP! JAZZ! POW! Transforming the Vernacular

ORCHESTRA

Symphony of Meditations (Symphony No. 3) (sop/bar/chorus) 72'


Lament and Prayer (vn/str orch/hp/perc) 25'


Simple Songs (sop or ten/orch/or ch orch) 20'

Concerto with Echoes (ch orch) 17'

Newly Drawn Sky 17'

musica celestis (str orch) 11'

Air (vn/vc/orch) 11'


CHAMBER


Air (vn/vc/or fl with pno or ft/str quartet) 11'

Music of the Spirit

VOCAL AND CHORAL

Brilliant Sky, Infinite Sky (bar/vn/perc/pno) 20'

Two Awakenings and a Double Lullaby(sop/vn/gtr (opt)/pno) 22'

Simple Songs (sop or ten/ch ens) 20'

Ecstatic Meditations (chorus) 17'

Two Meditations (chorus/org) 14'

Glorious Majesty (chorus) 9'

Praise Ye the Lord (chorus) 6'

The Love of God (chorus/org) 5'

Song of You (chorus) 4'

Teach Me Thy Way, O Lord (chorus) 4'

Music of the Spirit

Judaic music and modes have inspired andanchored me from childhood, and appear in manyof these pieces - as do Christian and Easternmodes, which evoke for me the multiplicity of ways that the Divine can be expressed.

Music on War in Our TimeORCHESTRA


Lament and Prayer (vn/str orch/ob/hp/perc) 25'

Second Symphony 25'

Sarabanda in Memoriam (str orch) 16'

New Era Dance 6'

CHAMBER AND SOLO



Death Fugue (bass bar/db/2 perc) 11'

Hymn (accordion) 18'

Aria-Lament (vn) 9'

Between 1991 and 1995 I felt compelled to respond musically to the chain of

conflicts that ravagedmuch of the world,from the First Gulf

War, to Bosnia,then looking back

toward World War IIand the Holocaust.

These works, so filledwith grief and empathy,are among my most personal statements.

NATURE

Colored Field (vc or Eng hn solo/orch) 40'

Symphony in Waves (orch) 30'

“dream of the morning sky” (sop and orch) 23'

Newly Drawn Sky (orch) 17'

Pieces of Winter Sky (fl-picc/cl/vn – va/vc/pno/perc) 22'

Brilliant Sky, Infinite Sky (bar/vn/perc/pno) 20'

The Wheel of Time, the Dance (chorus) 17'

CHILDREN

Garden of Light (vocal soloists/chorus/orch) 45'

Goblin Market (narr/ch ens) 45'

Before Sleep and Dreams (pno) 22'

Two Awakenings and a Double Lullaby (sop/vn/gtr/pno) 22'

Songs of Innocents, Books 1 and 2 (sop/pno) 15’; 15'Angel Lullaby (pno) 4'

Playing Monster (pno) 3'

Inspired by Nature, Children and Love

Inspired by Nature, Children and Love

Suggesting light and color through musicis essential to me, as is taking on influencesfrom the natural world, not in a literal way,but by using them to free the emotions,pouring them onto the page in sound.

LOVE

Valentines (sop/orch or sop/pno) 25'

Love Scenes (sop/vc) 25'

Air (vn or vc with orch or pno,or fl with pno or str quartet) 11'

Love Advice (chorus) 10'

Chamber MusicPOWERFUL AND STRIKING

String Quartet No. 1 (“musica celestis”) 35'

String Quartet No. 2 (“musica instrumentalis”) 39'


L’Arte della Danssar (The Art of Dance)(sop/fl/vla/hp/perc) 25'

Pieces of Winter Sky (fl-picc/cl/vn-va/vc/perc/pno) 22'

Music for Trio (fl-afl-picc/vc/pno) 22'

On Distant Shores (solo vc/ob/str quartet/pno) 18'

Invisible Mosaic I (cl/vn/vc/pno) 16'

Passacaglia Variations (va/pno) 19'

Perpetual Chaconne (cl/str quartet) 17'

Two Movements with Bells (vn/pno) 17'

Partita (gtr) 16'


Air (vn or vc/pno) 11'

Meditation (in memory of John Lennon) (vc/pno) 10'

Aria-Lament (vn) 9'

Chamber MusicPOWERFUL AND STRIKING

String Quartet No. 1 (“musica celestis”) 35'

String Quartet No. 2 (“musica instrumentalis”) 39'



Pieces of Winter Sky (fl-picc/cl/vn-va/vc/perc/pno) 22'

Music for Trio (fl-afl-picc/vc/pno) 22'

On Distant Shores (solo vc/ob/str quartet/pno) 18'

Invisible Mosaic I (cl/vn/vc/pno) 16'

Passacaglia Variations (va/pno) 19'

Perpetual Chaconne (cl/str quartet) 17'

Two Movements with Bells (vn/pno) 17'

Partita (gtr) 16'


Air (vn or vc/pno) 11'


Aria-Lament (vn) 9'

Ballad (vc/pno) 8'

Second Ballad (vc/pno) 8'A Dance of Life (vn) 4'

Fanfare Con Fuoco (cl/vn/vc/pno) 3'

Harlem River Reveille (br quintet) 3'

WHIMSICAL AND PLAYFUL


Le Quattro Stagioni dalla Cucina Futurismo (The Four Seasons of Futurist Cuisine)(narr/vn/vc/pno) 20'

Delicate Songs (fl-afl-picc/vn/vc) 18'

100 Greatest Dance Hits (gtr/str quartet) 15'

Stein Times Seven (chorus or 5 solists/pno) 13'

Feng Shui for Your New Home (sop/pno) 7'

Superstar Etudes No. 1-3 (pno) 4';4';8'

Mozart en Route (vn/va/vc) 3'

Playing Monster (pno) 3'

Phantom Polka (accordion) 3'

Vocal MusicSOPRANO

Valentines (Carol Ann Duffy)(orch/or with pno) 25'

L’Arte Della Danssar(Italian texts from the 15th century) (fl-picc/vla/hp/perc) 25'

Love Scenes (Ana Swir) (vc) 25'

Simple Songs (Spiritual texts from many traditions)(orch, ch. orch, ch. ens, or pno) 20'

Two Songs: Love and Spirit (pno) 10'

Feng Shui for Your New Home (pno) 7'

Nocturne (Song of Songs) (2 glock/2 pno) 5'

Six Fragments of Gertrude Stein (fl-picc-afl) 5'

Songs of Innocents, Books I and II (19th & 20th Century texts about children) (pno) 15’;15'

Two Awakenings and a Double Lullaby (Texts on the Spirit of Children) (vn/gtr (opt)/pno) 22'

MEZZO-SOPRANO

America(n) (Day)dreams (May Swenson)(ch ens) 18'

TENOR

Simple Songs (Spiritual texts from many traditions)(orch, ch orch, ch. ens, or pno) 20'

BARITONE

Brilliant Sky, Infinite Sky (Dream Texts from the 19th & 20th Century) (vn/perc/pno) 20'

The Blue Animals (Jon Anderson) (pno) 6'

Clear Midnight (Walt Whitman) (pno) 5'

BASS-BARITONE

Death Fugue (Paul Celan) (db/2 perc) 11'

NARRATOR

Goblin Market (Christina Rossetti) (large ens) 45'

Le Quattro Stagioni dalla Cucina Futurismo (The Four Seasons of Futurist Cuisine) (F.T. Marinetti) (vn/vc/pno) 20'

WITH SOLOISTS AND ORCHESTRA

Symphony of Meditations (Symphony No. 3) (sop/bar/chorus/orch) 72'

Garden of Light (vocal soloists/chorus/orch) 45'

A CAPELLA WORKS

Ecstatic Meditations (Mystical texts)1. Effortlessly love flows 3'30"

2. I Cannot Dance O Lord 3'30"

3. How the Soul Speaks to God 4'30"

4. How God Answers the Soul 5'30"

The Wheel of Time, the Dance (Wendell Berry) 17'

1.The Circles of Our Lives 7'

2. The Wheel 6'

3. Returning 4'

Love Advice (Internet love texts) 10'

Glorious Majesty (Psalms) 9'

Praise Ye The Lord (Psalms) 6'

Dorma, Ador (Traditional Portuguese-style melody) 4'

Song of You (Hasidic Text) 3'40"

Choral Works

WITH PIANO

excerpts from Garden of Light1. Home 4'30"

2. The Light of Heaven 2'

3. Is There a Place4. In Search of Hope 2'30"

5. In Our Children's Embrace 4'40"

Stein Times Seven (Gertrude Stein) 13'

I Will Lie Down (May Swenson) 5'

Music is a Gift (Philip Littell) 3'

WITH ORGAN

The Love of God (Dante) 5'

Two Meditations (Psalms) 14'

1. On Transience 7'

2. On the Presence of God 7'

Teach Me Thy Way, O Lord (Psalms) 4'

Choral Works

3'-11'



New Era Dance 6'

Too Hot Toccata 6'

Overture in Feet and Meters 10'

Musica Celestis (str orch) 11'

Air (vn or vc solo) 11'

17'-22'


Newly Drawn Sky 17'



Five Etudes By Debussy (arr. Kernis) 20'

Color Wheel 22'

Over 25'



Symphony in Meditations (Symphony No. 3)(sop/bar/chorus) 72'

Orchestral Works by Length

3'-11'



New Era Dance 6'

Too Hot Toccata 6'

Overture in Feet and Meters 10'

Musica Celestis (str orch) 11'

Air (vn or vc solo) 11'

17'-22'


Newly Drawn Sky 17'



Five Etudes By Debussy (arr. Kernis) 20'

Color Wheel 22'

Over 25'



Symphony in Meditations (Symphony No. 3)(sop/bar/chorus) 72'

Orchestral Works by Length

Dreamsongs (vc/orch) 22'

Simple Songs (sop or ten/orch/ch orch or ch ens) 20'

Newly Drawn Sky (orch) 17'

Concerto in Echoes (ch orch) 17'

Morningsongs (bar/ch ens) 15'

musica celestis (str orch) 11'

Air (vn or vc/orch) 11'

On Wings of Light (orch) 3'

Air (vn or vc pno) 11'


Ballad (8 vc or vc/pno) 8'

Dorma, Ador (chorus) 5'

I Will Lie Down (chorus/pno) 5'

Waltz for Linda (pno) 3'

Concierto di 'Dance Hits' (gtr/str orch) 12'

Works Requiring Moderate Rehearsal Time

DiscographyAIR, DOUBLE CONCERTO for Violin and Guitar, LAMENT AND PRAYERJoshua Bell, Pamela Frank, Cho-Liang Lin, Sharon Isbin Minnesota Orchestra/David ZinmanSaint Paul Chamber Orchestra/ Hugh Wolff(Argo/Phoenix USA)

AIRTim Fain, violin; Pei-Yao Wang, piano(Naxos)

BALLAD (for 8 cellos)Paul York, cello(Centaur)

BEFORE SLEEP AND DREAMS, SPEED LIMIT RAG, SUPERSTAR ETUDE No. 1Anthony de Mare, piano(Koch/E1 Entertainment)

BEFORE SLEEP AND DREAMSLara Downes, piano(Tritone Music)

THE BLUE ANIMALSDouglas Shambo, bass;Aaron Jay Kernis, conductor(Innova)

CIACONA (from PARTITA)Seth Josel, guitar(CRI)

COLORED FIELD, STILL MOVEMENT WITH HYMNJulie Ann Giacobassi (English horn)San Francisco Symphony/Alasdaire Neale(Argo)

COLORED FIELD, AIR, MUSICA CELESTISTruls Mörk, cello;Eiji Oue/Minnesota Orchestra(Virgin)

ECSTATIC MEDITATIONSVolti/Robert Geary(Innova)

EFFORTLESSLY LOVE FLOWSMusica Sacra/Kent Tritle(MSR Classics)

FENG SHUI FOR YOUR NEW HOMETalise Trevigne, soprano; Kelly Horstead, piano(Schott)

THE FOUR SEASONS OF FUTURIST CUISINE,BEFORE SLEEP AND DREAMS, AIR, MEDITATION (IN MEMORY OF JOHNLENNON)Evan Spritzer, narrator; Eberli Ensemble;Michael Finckel, cello; Aaron Jay Kernis and Evelyne Luest, piano; Andrea Schultz, violin(Argo/Phoenix USA)

GOBLIN MARKET, INVISIBLE MOSAIC IIMary King, narratorRebecca Miller/The New Professionals(Signum)

HOW THE SOUL SPEAKS TO GODSan Francisco Symphony Chorus/Vance George(Delos)

I CANNOT DANCE, O LORDPhilip Brunelle/ VocalEssence(Clarion)

LAMENT AND PRAYER(The Glenn Dicterow Album)Glenn Dicterow, violinLorin Maazel/New York Philharmonic(Naxos online)

LOVE SCENES; BRILLIANT SKY, INFINITE SKY; MORNINGSONGSSanford Sylvan, baritone; Carmen Pelton, soprano; Jan Opalach,bass-baritone; Jorja Fleezanis, violin;Daniel Druckman, percussion;Robert Helps, piano;St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble/Ransom Wilson (CRI/New World Records)

MOZART EN ROUTEIda Kavafian, violin; Steve Tenenbom,viola; Peter Wiley, cello(Bridge)

MUSICA CELESTISGerard Schwarz/Seattle Symphony(Naxos)

100 GREATEST DANCE HITS, AMERICA(N)(DAY) DREAMS, MOZART EN ROUTE, SUPERSTAR ETUDE No. 1, NOCTURNEDavid Tanenbaum (guitar); Chester Quartet; Michael Barrett, piano(New Albion)

100 GREATEST DANCE HITS, BEFORE SLEEPAND DREAMS, SUPERSTAR ETUDE No.1, AIR (for Cello and Piano), MEDITATION (IN MEMORY OF JOHN LENNON)David Tanenbaum, guitar; Kashii String Quartet; Andrew Russo, piano; Felix Fan, cello (Black Box Classics)

100 GREATEST DANCE HITSManuel Barrueco, guitar; Cuarteto Latinoamericano(Tonar Music)

PARTITADavid Tanenbaum, guitar(New Albion Records)

PHANTOM POLKAGuy Klucevsek, accordion(CRI/New World Records)Guy Klucevsek, accordion(Starkland)

SARABANDA IN MEMORIAMGrant Park Orchestra/Carlos KalmarCedille Records

SECOND SYMPHONY, MUSICA CELESTIS,INVISIBLE MOSAIC IIICity of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra/Hugh Wolff(Argo/Phoenix USA)

SIMPLE SONGS, VALENTINES, SONGS OF INNOCENTSSusan Narucki, sopranoDonald Berman, pianoAaron Jay Kernis, conductor(Koch/E1 Entertainment)

SONG OF YOUNY Virtuoso Singers/Harold Rosenbaum(Soundbrush)

STEIN TIMES SEVEN (Movement No. 6)Jan DeGaetani, mezzo-soprano; Gilbert Kalish, piano (Nonesuch)

STRING QUARTETS No. 1 ("musica celestis")and No. 2 ("musica instrumentalis")Lark Quartet(Arabesque)

STRING QUARTET No. 1 ("musica celestis")The Kernis ProjectJasper Quartet(Dorian)

STRING QUARTET No. 2("musica instrumentalis")The Kernis ProjectJasper Quartet(Dorian)

SYMPHONY IN WAVES, STRING QUARTET No. 1 (“musica celestis”)Gerard Schwarz, conductor/NY Chamber SymphonyLark Quartet(Argo/Phoenix)

SYMPHONY IN WAVES, NEWLY DRAWNSKY, TOO HOT TOCCATACarlos Kalmar/Grant Park Orchestra(Cedille)

TEACH ME THY WAY, OH LORDThe New York Concert Singers/Judith Clurman(New World Records)

TWO AWAKENINGS AND A DOUBLE LULLABYHila Plittman, soprano; David Tanenbaum, guitar; Axel Strauss,violin; Aaron Jay Kernis, piano(Naxos)

TRIO IN REDDavid Shifrin, clarinet; Fred Sherry, cello;Anne Marie McDermott, piano(Delos)

THE WHEEL; I CANNOT DANCE, O LORDLoïc Pierre/Mikrokosmos Chamber Choir(Jade)

IN PREPARATION:

ON DISTANT SHORES, BALLAD (for Celloand Piano), TRIO IN RED, MORNINGSONGWITH MIST (Aubade sous Brume), PLAYING MONSTER, ANGEL LULLABY,LINDA’S WALTZ, SPEED LIMIT RAGEvelyne Luest, piano; Susan Babini, cello;Caroline Stinson, cello; Members of Contrasts and Daedalus Quartets(Phoenix USA – Release date: Winter 2015)

THREE FLAVORS (for Piano and Orches-tra), TWO MOVEMENTS (WITH BELLS),BALLAD(E) OUT OF THE BLUE(S) – SUPERSTAR ETUDE No. 3 James Ehnes, violin; Andrew Russo, pianoAlbany Symphony/ David Alan Miller, conductor(Naxos – Release date: Spring 2015)

Winner of the coveted 2002 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition and the 1998 Pulitzer Prize, Aaron Jay Kernis is among the most esteemed musical figures of his generation.With "fearless originality [and a] powerful voice" (The New YorkTimes), Kernis is one of today's most frequently performedcomposers. His music, full of variety and dynamic energy, is rich in lyric beauty, poetic imagery, and brilliant instrumental color.

His works appear prominently on orchestral, chamber, andrecital programs world-wide and he has been commissionedby many of the world’s foremost performers and institutions, including soprano Renee Fleming; violinists Joshua Bell, NadjaSalerno-Sonnenberg and James Ehnes (for the BBC Proms); pianist Christopher O'Riley and guitarist Sharon Isbin; the NewYork Philharmonic, Philadelphia and Minnesota Orchestras,Seattle and San Francisco Symphonies Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Walt Disney Company, Rose Center for Earth andSpace, Ravinia Festival and the Lark, Orion and Jasper stringquartets. Commissions in recent years have included a number of concerti for prominent soloists, a 3rd string quartetand diverse chamber works.

One of America's most honored composers, Mr. Kernis was recently inducted into the Classical Music Hall of Fame. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, he has received countless awards and prizes throughout hiscareer, including the 2011 Nemmers Award from NorthwesternUniversity. A devoted mentor and educator, he served for tenyears as New Music Advisor to the Minnesota Orchestra andfounder and artistic director of that orchestra's Composer Institute for 15 years. He currently teaches composition at Yale School of Music, a position he's occupied since 2003.

His works have been recorded on Virgin, Naxos, Dorian,Arabesque, Phoenix, Argo, Cedille and many other labels. Kernis also enjoys conducting and has appeared in past seasons in that role with the Pascal Rioult Dance Company, at major chamber music festivals in Chicago and Portland,

and with members of the San Francisco and Minnesota Orchestras and New York Philharmonic.

Leta Miller's book-length portrait of Kernis and his work was published in 2014 by University of Illinois Press as part of its American Composers Series.

Aaron Jay Kernis was born in Philadelphia on January 15, 1960. He began his musical studies on the violin; at age 12 hebegan teaching himself piano, soon after began compositionstudies, and went on to the San Francisco Conservatory andManhattan and Yale Schools of Music. Kernis first came to national attention in 1982 with the acclaimed premiere of his first orchestral work, "dream of the morning sky," by the New York Philharmonic at its Horizons Festival.

“Aaron Jay Kernis: A Colorist of Dynamic Proportions”

– WQXR

Management and Public RelationsDworkin & CompanyPO Box 248Bedford Hills, NY 10507914.244.3803elizabeth@dworkincompany.comwww.dworkincompany.com

PublisherG. Schirmer, Inc. / Associated Music Publishers, Inc. 180 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10016212.254.2100 [email protected]

Design by: Stanwood Studios, Laura WurzelMusic of the Spirit Photo: Elizabeth Leslie PhotographyPhotos of Aaron Kernis and Music on War: Richard Bowditch

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Kernis THEMATIC CATALOG 2014