CONCERTO IN BLUE
Piano, Orchestra and Pipes and Drums Band
I. Goin’ Home
II. The Thin Blue Line
Duration: 15'30''
Concerto in Blue (2017) for piano and orchestra is dedicated to a fallen Police Officer David Fahey, who was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver on I-90 in Cleveland, Ohio, while assisting at the scene of a fatal accident on January 24, 2017. The opening theme of the concerto, “Goin’ Home”, is inspire by Antonin Dvorak’s "Largo" theme from Symphony No. 9 in E minor and was later arranged by N. A. Slagle for Bagpipes. “Goin’ Home” became a traditional ceremonial song played on Bagpipes at the funerals for U.S. Military and Law Enforcement. The funeral of Officer Fahey was the first Law Enforcement funeral I have attended since my husband joined Cleveland Police department. The melody I knew and loved took on completely different meaning and inspired me to write Concerto in Blue in Honor of Officer Fahey. This composition was my way to honor his service and express my sorrow for his family’s loss. The Thin Blue Line, a title of the second movement of the Concerto in Blue, represents the thin line Police Officers walk daily between life and death. It is also represents a connection between Offers killed in the line of Duty and those who continue with their commitment to serve and protect in the present.
OVERTURE - ARA AND SEMIRAMIS
Orchestra
Duration: 6'
Overture - Ara and Semiramis (2024) is based on Armenian legend, “Ara and Semiramis” takes place in the ninth century BCE, when the Armenian King Ara ruled his people peacefully as a protectorate of the great Assyrian Empire. A man of legendary beauty, Ara was courted endlessly by the Assyrian queen, Semiramis. Committed to his wife, Nouvrat, and to his sovereignty, Ara repeatedly refuses Semiramis’s overtures. Enraged, Semiramis ultimately declares war on the Armenians, instructing her troops to bring Ara to her alive at any cost. Despite this command, Ara is killed in battle, leaving both his beloved wife and his reckless pursuer distraught. Overture includes an uplifting theme representing Armenian people preparing for а celebration, a recurring theme of the King Ara expressing a strong character followed by theme of lustful and commanding Queen Semiramis. The overture ends with a dance like theme representing Assyrian servants carrying gifts sent by their Queen in pursuit of the handsome Armenian King.