Concerto in one movement for Marimba and Orchestra (pno red) by Emma Lou Diemer

Concerto in One Movement for Marimba and Orchestra was written for the 10th anniversary season of the Bat Area Women’s Philharmonic for premiere in its March 1991 concerts in San Francisco with JoAnn Falleta conducting and Deborah Schwartz as marimba soloist. Varujan Kojian programmed the work for the April 1991 concepts of the Santa Barbara Symphony, also with Deborah Schwartz. The Bay Area Women’s Philharmonic commission called for a 15-minute work using a slightly reduced orchestration: woodwinds in pairs, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, trombone, 2 percussion, piano/celeste, and strings. This lighter instrumentation is appropriate considering the relative subtlety and delicacy of the marimba.

The orchestration and general style of the entire concerto are imbued with the individuality of the tone colour and technique of the marimba, reflected in the orchestral textures used throughout: the tremolos and glissandos as well as rhythms and melodic motives that echo or reinforce the ideas expressed by the solo instrument. There are two cadenzas and an extended solo passage for marimba in the slow middle section. In the last cadenza the soloist is joined by the percussion section of the orchestra. The spirit of the work is related somewhat to Vivaldi in its use of floating harmonic rhythms (slow-moving harmonies evolved through figuration), and bears some harmonic relation to another of the composer’s favourite writers of music, Ravel. Deborah Schwartz, for whom the work was written, offered excellent editorial suggestions in the writing of the marimba part. The concerto was written to be enjoyed by all concerned, including the first and foremost the audience who will hear it for the first time.