Beth Anderson
Minnesota Swale
Year: 1993
Duration (in minutes): 13
Difficulty: Medium (college/community)
Category: orchestra and chamber orchestra
Instruments: bassoon, cello, clarinet, contrabass, flute, horn, oboe, percussion, trumpet, viola, violin
Publisher: available from the composer
Publisher website: www.beand.com
MP3 STREAM: https://soundcloud.com/jeffrey-james-271129138/beth-anderson-minnesota-swale
Description: Commissioned/premiered by the Minnesota Synphonia with Jay Fishman conducting and recorded for Opus One in 1995 in Bratislava by the Slovak Radio Symphony. Available on the Opus One CD, New Music For Orchestra. (A swale is a meadow or a marsh where a lot of wild plants grow together. The composer discovered the word when a horse named Swale won the Kentucky Derby in 1984. Since her work is primarily collage of newly composed musical swatches, she has used the name extensively.) This swale includes an improvised percussion cadenza. Performed by Pasadena Symphony Orchestra's Sinfonia Ensemble conducted by Pin Chen and the Wellesley College Orchestra conducted by Joel Suben.