Medea's Dance of Vengeance
Encyclopedia
Medea's Dance of Vengeance is a composition
(Opus 23a) by the American composer Samuel Barber
derived from his earlier ballet suite Medea
. Barber first created a seven movement concert suite from this ballet (Medea, Op.23), and five years later reduced this concert suite down to a single-movement concert piece using what he felt to be the strongest portions of the work. He originally titled it Medea's Meditation and Dance of Vengeance, but shortly before his death, he changed the title to simply Medea's Dance of Vengeance.
3 Flutes, Piccolo, 2 Oboes, English Horn, 2 Clarinets, E-flat Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, 2 Bassoons, Contrabassoon, 4 Horns, 3 Trumpets, 3 Trombones, Tuba, Timpani, Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Tom Tom, Triangle, Cymbals, Tam-tam, Xylophone, Whip, Harp, Piano, and Strings.
Dance of Vengeance was premiered on February 2, 1956 by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Dimitri Mitropoulos. The concert suite was recorded by the New Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Barber
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Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
(Opus 23a) by the American composer Samuel Barber
Samuel Barber
Samuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music...
derived from his earlier ballet suite Medea
Medea (Ballet)
Medea is a composition by American composer, Samuel Barber. Medea's Dance of Vengeance was derived from the work....
. Barber first created a seven movement concert suite from this ballet (Medea, Op.23), and five years later reduced this concert suite down to a single-movement concert piece using what he felt to be the strongest portions of the work. He originally titled it Medea's Meditation and Dance of Vengeance, but shortly before his death, he changed the title to simply Medea's Dance of Vengeance.
Scoring & Premiere
Dance of Vengeance is scored for a larger orchestra than either preceding version (ballet or concert suite). It calls for:3 Flutes, Piccolo, 2 Oboes, English Horn, 2 Clarinets, E-flat Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, 2 Bassoons, Contrabassoon, 4 Horns, 3 Trumpets, 3 Trombones, Tuba, Timpani, Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Tom Tom, Triangle, Cymbals, Tam-tam, Xylophone, Whip, Harp, Piano, and Strings.
Dance of Vengeance was premiered on February 2, 1956 by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Dimitri Mitropoulos. The concert suite was recorded by the New Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Barber
Barber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
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