LAUREL CANYON - OVERTURE FOR ORCHESTRA - PROGRAM NOTE

Laurel Canyon - Overture for Orchestra is a concert “opener” that starts with a "you are there" moment in an iconic Laurel Canyon folk rock gathering, with a lovely tune on flute and harp (guitar-like), and of course tambourine.   The music very quickly “takes flight” into a wild ride, soaring as the steep canyon roads twist and turn higher and higher, and ultimately the “drummer” at this metaphorical party can’t restrain herself  any longer: police whistles are heard and there is a wild "rock" drum solo on tom toms, with crashing cymbals,  which is followed, appropriately for Laurel Canyon, by a “surreal moment” evoking perhaps a misty canyon morning complete with bird calls  before the exciting ending.  

My beloved city of my birth, LA, is about music, especially the legendary Laurel Canyon, and LA is also about ambition, in a unique mix of the solitude of "the hills" and hiking trails in the middle of millions of people and yet creating a micro-world, the steep forest in the hills imbued with creativity where much is aspired to.  LA is also about places you visit by car, and what that experience brings you as well: experiencing Laurel Canyon means you are driving the famous Hollywood Hills with music flowing in the car window!  I hope you enjoy the visit!

Laurel Canyon - Overture for Orchestra started its life as the untitled third movement of my Symphony No. 4, and works beautifully in the context of that 35 minute four-movement large symphony.  But it turned out to be too much fun to leave there, I could not resist offering it on it own as an exciting concert opener.  As things turned out, it has yet another “role,” as the middle movement in the orchestra trilogy Three Places in Los Angeles (consisting of The Lake at Franklin Canyon, Laurel Canyon, and Mulholland Drive).  

Laurel Canyon has been recorded and released and is also on Spotify, apple music, and other digital music services.   The Spotify link for Laurel Canyon is here: https://open.spotify.com/album/4zcP0NOpOHZSdnqtZV0EFz?si=MNqlWL0USpS2Wvpcdj2V-w

Instrumentation:

Piccolo

Flute

2 Oboes

2 Clarinets in B b

2 Bassoons (2nd doubling Contrabassoon)

4 Horns in F

3 Trumpets in C

2 Tenor Trombones

Bass Trombone

Tuba

Timpani

Percussion (3 players):

Glockenspiel, Crash Cymbals, Suspended Cymbals, Hi-Hat, Sizzle Cymbal,

Triangle, Referee Whistle, Cowbell, Tambourine, Maracas, Claves, Tamtam,

Snare Drum, 4 Tom-toms, Bass Drum

Harp

Strings

Duration ca. 6 minutes

The music for LAUREL CANYON - Overture for Orchestra was originally the untitled third movement of Symphony No. 4 (2021).

MEDIA:

RECORDING:

Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra

Conducted by Stanislav Vavřínek

František Škrla - Drum Solo

First Leaf Music Label

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/album/4zcP0NOpOHZSdnqtZV0EFz?si=mzXQWlT-SlSaFikJgZ8okg

YOUTUBE (with scrolling score):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXW_uIZlPIA

PUBLICATION from Subito Music Corp.:

Printed Score for Sale: https://www.subitomusic.com/product/field-laurel-canyon-%c2%96-overture-for-orchestra/

Score and Parts Available on Rental from Subito Music Corp.

Full score PDF on Issuu:  https://issuu.com/home/published/field_laurel_canyon__score_-10_x_13