Danza Habanera for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon and Chamber Orchestra

Instrumentation:
  1. Solo fl.,ob.,cl.,bsn./0.0.0.0./4.2.0.0./2perc./strings                                                 
  2. Solo fl.,ob.,cl.,bsn./0.0.0.0./2.2.0.0./1perc./strings

Other Version: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon and Piano

Date: 2008

Duration:  9:00

Notes:

A habanera is a Cuban dance and song named after its capital, Havana.  It was first popular in the western world at the beginning of the 19th century and later became popular in Europe, especially in Spain.  The habanera is possibly the most universal of all Cuban musical forms.  There are various theories regarding its origin, ranging from Cuban Pre-Columbian music or even the music of the Incas, to a similarity between the habanera and the zortzico Basque air of Spain.

Mr. Royer added Danza to the Habanera title to denote a freer use of form from the traditional habanera.  Four solo woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon) are featured in various groupings, each of which is featured in a short solo cadenza.  The Danza Habanera starts with a plaintive air in the key of C Minor and gradually evolves into a happier but dreamier piece in the key of F Major.  With a variation of the opening habanera rhythm, the composition (now in G Minor) builds in intensity to reach the climax in an intense orchestra tutti before returning to the beginning plaintive atmosphere.

Commissioning

The Danza Habanera was first performed in 2008 and was commissioned by the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra with the assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts. This work is dedicated to John Barnum and the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra.

Mirage (chamber orchestra)

Instrumentation:

2(2=picc).2.2(2=bcl).2./2.2.0.0./timp.1perc./strings

(alternate part combining timpani and percussion for 1 player)

Other Versions: Orchestra, String Orchestra and Quintet

Date: 2010

Duration:  9:45

Notes:

My intent in this composition is to explore the shifting and illusionary world of the dream state. Mirage begins with a slow meditative introduction representing the act of falling asleep. A solo viola cadenza follows, starting a sequence of musical episodes, each emphasizing different emotions and parts of a dream. As the string orchestra enters, the music takes on a melancholy air with occasional mysterious interludes. In the next section, the music speeds up and takes on a restless and more intense character employing a bluesy and jazz-infused theme. The music moves into a more flowing and serene section before leading into a faster and more agitated section representing the dream taking a more troubled direction. Leading to an unsettling climax, the music abruptly stops leaving silence. The original meditative music returns as the dreamer starts to awake entering that in-between world of wondering if the dream was real or not.

Analysis

          Mirage is based on three musical motifs which are continuously evolving and developing, giving the music an unstable yet unified character. The first two motifs are heard in the opening five bars. The third motif is introduced in the first allegro section. The form can be considered a fantasia or fantasy variation.

Motif 1 – ascending perfect 5th, minor 2nd, and perfect 5th (bars 1-3)

Motif 2 – descending minor 2nd, and major 3rd, then an ascending major 2nd (bars 4-5)

Motif 3 – ascending minor 3rd, major 2nd, and minor 3rd (bars 44-45)

Commissioning and First Performance

Mirage was originally composed for orchestra and was commissioned by the Orchestras Mississauga (John Barnum, music director) with the assistance of a Canada Council for the Arts composer residency grant. The re-orchestrated version of Mirage for string orchestra was commissioned by the Orchestras Mississauga and Soundstreams Canada (Lawrence Cherney, artistic director) and again was assisted by the Canada Council for Arts composer residency grant. The first performance of the string orchestra version was on February 19, 2007 at the Glenn Gould Studio, Toronto, featuring the Amici Strings and the University of Toronto Schools String Ensemble conducted by Joaquin Valdepenas.

 

Suite from the Motion Picture Gooby

(Kevin Lau, co-composer, Chris Meyer, orchestrator)

Instrumentation:

2(2=picc).1.2.2./4.2.3.1./timp.3perc.hp.pn./strings (harp or piano are optional; alternate parts for 2 percussion)

Date: 2008
Duration: 12:14                                                            

  1. Main Title – 1:35
  2. Bicycles, Bullies and Bears – 2:35
  3. Space Cart Ride – 1:14
  4. Construction Site Waltz – 1:29
  5. Gooby’s Farewell – 3:53
  6. Finale – 1:28

Notes:

Gooby (DVD-2009)

Monterey Media.com – Theatrical – DVD / VHS

– Genre: Action and Adventure, Family
– Writer, Director, Producer: Wilson Coneybeare
– Cast: Matthew Knight, Robbie Coltrane, Eugene Levy, David James Elliott, Ingrid – Kavelaars

-Composers: Ronald Royer and Kevin Lau (Orchestrated by Chris Meyer)

Imagine if you had a six-foot tall “monster” to help you through the rough times when you were a kid! Willy (Matthew Knight) is terrified about moving into the family’s new house. He’s convinced it’s filled with evil space aliens out to get him. In response to his longing for someone to save him, Gooby (voiced by Robbie Coltrane, Harry Potter’s Hagrid) comes to life as a big, lovable, scruffy creature who quite possibly may be more frightened of the world than Willy. The two new pals embark on hair-raising adventures and learn about courage and the power of friendship all the while with Eugene Levy (Night at the Museum) on their trail. In the end, Gooby fulfills Willy’s wish by bringing Willy and his dad (David James Elliott, “JAG”) together in a heart-warming and exciting climax.

Premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival. Finalist International Family Film Festival, Los Angeles; Platinum Remi Worldfest, Houston, International Film Festival; Official Selection, Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children.

http://www.montereymedia.com/theatrical/films/gooby.html

triofus/morofus

Independent
2008

Mark Payne-Piano; Robert Riseling-Clarinet; David Hayward-Bassoon; Anne Thompson-Flute

Ronald Royer – In Memoriam Fryderyk Chopin for Clarinet, Bassoon and Piano (7:08)

Mark Payne-Piano, Robert Riseling-Clarinet, David Hayward-Bassoon

Iin Memoriam Fryderyk Chopin is based upon and inspired by the Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72, No. 1 for piano. In Memoriam serves as a reflection on the life, work and death of Chopin at the age of thirty-nine. After a short piano introduction, a meditative section features a cadenza for clarinet followed by one for bassoon. A more rhythmic and energetic section follows, which is meant to suggest his struggles in life and creativity. After a climactic section ending with a piano solo, a more peaceful section shines through representing the beauty, joy and genius of Chopin’s legacy. Originally written for clarinet, cello and string orchestra in 1999, In Memoriam was rewritten in 2007 for TriofuS. Ronald Royer’s’ friend and colleague, Chris Meyer, created the piano part from the string orchestra parts.

1-3. Divertimento – Paul Carr

4-6. Trio – Madeleine Dring

7-10. Four Panels from My Past – Allen Torok

11. In Memoriam Fryderyk Chopin, for Clarinet, Bassoon and Piano – Ronald Royer

12. Trio Breve No. 1 – John Burge