Holiday Overture

The "Holiday Overture" is a composition for orchestra by Elliott Carter. Carter wrote the work during the summer of 1944, on commission from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, to celebrate the liberation of Paris during World War II. In addition, Carter composed the overture for the Independent Concert Music Publisher's Contest 1945, and won this competition.cite journal | url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0031-6016(197021%2F22)8%3A2%3C1%3ACWEC%3E2.0.CO%3B2-4 | last=Carter | first=Elliott and Boretz, Benjamin | title=Conversation with Elliott Carter | journal=Perspectives of New Music | volume=8 | issue=2 | pages=1–22 | date=Spring-Summer 1970 | accessdate=2008-04-09 | doi=10.2307/832445] The overture was to have been premiered in Boston. However, Carter made a copy of some parts of the work. Eventually, the work received its premiere in Frankfurt in 1946, conducted by Hans Blümer. [cite journal | url=http://mq.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/XLIII/2/151 | last=Goldman | first=Richard Franko | title=The Music of Elliott Carter | journal=The Musical Quarterly | volume=XLIII | issue=2 | pages=151–170 | date=April 1957 | accessdate=2008-04-07] In 1961, Carter revised the overture.

Background

The music is optimistic in spirit, reflecting Carter's own affection for his years in Paris and reaction to news of the Allied victory in France. Whilst reminiscent of the populist manner of Aaron Copland, according to the composer himself, the work was also one of his first to use "different contrasting layers of musical activity at the same time". [Elliott Carter, Essay from "The Orchestral Composer's Point of View" (Essays on twentieth-century music by those who wrote it) (ed. Robert Stephan Hines). University of Oklahoma Press (Norman, Oklahoma), 1970 (ISBN 0806108622).] In addition, Carter has said of the work:

"...it was to be a demonstration of brilliant orchestration, and a lively, good-spirited sort of piece."

The music has a duration of about 10 minutes. The instrumentation is as follows:

Recordings

* CRI SD 475: American Composers Orchestra; Paul Lustig Dunkel, conductor [cite journal | url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0031-6016(198123%2F198222)20%3A1%2F2%3C169%3AAECD%3E2.0.CO%3B2-N | last=Whipple | first=Harold W. | title=An Elliott Carter Discography | journal=Perspectives of New Music | volume=20 | issue=1/2 | pages=169–181 | date=Autumn 1981-Summer 1982 | accessdate=2008-04-07 | doi=10.2307/942411]
* Naxos 8.559151: Nashville Symphony Orchestra; Kenneth Schermerhorn, conductor (recorded 2002)
* Bridge Records 9177: Odense Symphony Orchestra; Donald Palma, conductor

References

ources

* [http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559151# Naxos 8.559151, CD Booklet P.2 and 3, with link to notes by Frank J. Oteri]

External links

* [http://www.newworldrecords.org/uploads/file2jusu.pdf Liner notes to CRI Recording of Elliott Carter's music, NWCR610]
* [http://nyphil.org/programNotes/0506_Carter_HolidayOverture.pdf James M. Keller, New York Philharmonic program note on "Holiday Overture", September 2005]