The title Dancing to an Orange Drummer comes from the expression “moving to the beat of a different drummer.” The piece was inspired by the challenge of moving to a new country (in this case, the Netherlands), and for the composer, this meant feeling, and enjoying, the very different beat and energy of new people, places and customs. Lann uses two contrasting elements that gradually merge: simple melodies in the brass begin the work, against a repeated rhythmic pattern in the other instruments. The two groups do clash with each other, but eventually, the brass instruments take over aspects of the rhythmic pattern, while the others imitate the brass melody. This climaxes in a new unity in orchestral sound by the end of the piece. The original big band version of this work was written in 1993 for the Dutch ensemble De Ereprijs; the version for symphony orchestra was completed on request of the Boston Pops Orchestra on the occasion of their performance in May 2015 in Symphony Hall (Boston, USA).
The work was frequently performed by the Philharmonie Zuidnederland, as part of their youth project Heartbeat with conductor Peter Biloen.
Listen to Dancing to an Orange Drummer, version for ensemble:
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Vanessa Lann wins Buma Award Classical! on Spotify
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Published 7 years ago