Rave Paul Dolden

In 2005 I was invited to my first European retrospective. The other featured composer was Gyorgy Ligeti. Named the Borderlines Festival, it featured 20 works from each composer. The idea was Ligeti’s European style of micro-polyphony compared to my North American style of micro-polyphony.

More than anything, I was looking forward to meeting and having panel discussions with one of my musical heroes, Ligeti. However at the time he was too sick to come to Sweden and died shortly thereafter.

For the festival, The Ars nova ensemble commissioned this new work from me. Knowing that 20 of my complex works were going to be played I decided to write a real North American kick ass short work.

The work is about using Rock, Latin and jazz rhythms to create a raving musical fever.

Of course I was younger and still believed that new music concerts should have dancing in the aisles!

Commissioned by Ars Nova (Sweden).

  • Year of composition: 2005
  • Format: Mixed work
  • Instrumentation: 4 Instruments and tape (Trumpet, Electric Guitar, Vibraphone, Piano). Trumpet can be replaced by other loud reed or brass instrument
  • Duration of the submitted work: 6:30

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