Submitted by the Kammerwerke Double Wind Quintet
The world premiere of St. Martin by Bedford composer/musician Dean Groves will highlight the Kammerwerke Double Wind Quintet’s “Winter Escape” concert at 3 pm on February 25, 2018 at First Parish in Bedford, 75 The Great Road.
Born into a musical family, Dean Groves started writing melodies at about age 10. By age 12, he was playing music and writing songs that included lyrics and music. He entered Boston University’s School for the Arts in 1970 where he studied composition with John Goodman, Hugo Norden and Allan Shindler, graduating cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Theory and Composition in 1974. Then, as now, it wasn’t easy to make a living as a composer. Dean played pop music gigs and recording sessions on electric bass for about six years, using his academic training to create band arrangements. He continued to compose, but wasn’t able to devote as much time to it as he would have liked. Starting in 1980, Dean transitioned to a second career in information systems. He was able to pursue composition more seriously as a craft after it ceased to be a vocation. Now, the time he spends on music is completely his own, making it far more rewarding.
When asked about his piece, Dean replied, “‘St. Martin’ is a tone poem describing my feelings and impressions during the week in October 1982 that my bride and I spent our honeymoon on the French side of that beautiful Caribbean island. I composed the original version from 1982 through 1984, then spent many years working sporadically on a condensed revision for a larger ensemble. George Epple of Kammerwerke attended a recital performance of an earlier version of Part 1. Later he approached me with the proposal of a commission to arrange the complete work specifically for Kammerwerke. We discussed orchestration, and settled on adding contrabass and harp to the standard Double Wind Quintet.”
The result is a beautiful, lyrical and rhythmically engaging work in three parts, impressionistically describing the waves of a peaceful cove, birds, the sound of raindrops, the sound of a parade, and a Caribbean dance.
Also on the program will be Parthia in F (1785) by Antonio Rosetti, Edward Elgar’s Serenade in E minor, Opus 20 (1892) and Serenade Opus 57 (1949) by Richard Arnell.
Adults $20; Students $10; 13 and under free. First Parish in Bedford is handicapped accessible. Advance ticket reservations: [email protected] or at www.kammerwerke.org. This program is supported in part by grants from the Bedford, Billerica, Chelmsford and Concord Cultural Councils and Lexington Center for the Arts, local agencies supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
Loading ...
