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Unknown: I really just realized that two are from the 1930s and two are from the 1990s. So it wasn't planned in the least. And really, I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you for making this festival possible for us. And I wanted

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also to thank my outstanding musicians for coming together and making this an orchestra that is really extraordinary. So please join me. If you don't have a someplace to rush off to at the end, we're

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going to do an informal talkback, with composer Michael Doherty, who's here this evening and soloist, Terrence Wilson and myself and maybe a couple of the outstanding musicians if I can talk them into it, so please stay after the concert if you'd

00:00:50.850 - 00:32:04.890

like to join us. I've been wondering when they were going to do what they do, but here it is. So it's my pleasure I've twisted Michaels arm into saying a few words about this extremely serious

00:32:04.890 - 00:32:24.180

next work well it's great to be back again. Last year was last year it was the Superman capes. I think you had Superman capes. Okay. Well, it's, you know, it's a very long journey as a

00:32:24.180 - 00:32:39.930

composer. You know, I started out in Iowa as a kid playing rock and jazz, moving to Texas playing classical music. Then when I was in college, going to New York City learning 12 tone music, going to Paris at your calm, learning the most advanced

00:32:42.330 - 00:33:05.070

works at that time. And then going back to America ending up in New Jersey, playing piano bar at the Ramada Inn exit. Ramada Inn exit one New Jersey Turnpike. But I knew someday I would put all those worlds together. And this is the piece

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tonight. Actually, everybody has stories but it's interesting to host I'm staying with Arnie left has a story I'd like Arnie to come up here that pertains to this particular work with Arnie could come up here.

00:33:26.760 - 00:33:48.330

Yeah, shrugging the mic. And, you know, one thing I should say is that this is my host while I'm here and I think we should give a big round of applause for all the all the hosts of the musicians. Alright, so here's here's the story.

00:33:49.440 - 00:34:05.490

Seems like a lot of people have Liberace stories. Basically, Judith, my partner's on the board of the music festival and they talked about getting some candelabras and I suggested that they contact the Liberace foundation and use my

00:34:05.490 - 00:34:26.880

grandmother either as a source if necessary, and my family. My family got to meet Liberace when they moved from the east coast, to West Hollywood, my parents and grandparents to start a new career as managers of an apartment complex in West

00:34:26.880 - 00:34:48.060

Hollywood. When one day Liberace walks in and rents an apartment for a friend and my parents would always say how wonderful he was, how kind and polite and gracious. My grandmother Eva would always explain to everyone how generous and kind he was,

00:34:48.600 - 00:35:18.120

especially since she thought to the day she died, that he was paying the monthly rent for his handsome young nephew. If you turn your program book booklets to page 50, a 59, please similar lesson, but you notice there's four move

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movements in the piece as you can quickly scan those rhinestone kicks up of course because the rhinestones How do I love the by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, which was a big poem that that he liked a lot. The third moment, the piano cadenza

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is actually based on the notes of the swimming pool on the wall. And of course, the last moment and now it's supposed to give the cue for the accessories, candelabra rumba. The last moment yes, these are from the Las Vegas Liberace

00:35:53.670 - 00:36:27.660

museum. All right. So, so there we go. All right, let's give him a round of applause for that. You know, when one is composing a piece, I mean, there's a lot of stuff

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going on. I'm very concerned with the orchestration, the CounterPoint, the dynamics, the bones of the strings, the brass, everything that's going on, I spent, you know, much time on that. So there's a lot of stuff going on in the piece, but also

00:36:39.930 - 00:36:56.520

at the same time. The piece is also fun. And the idea that you know, serious music can be fun, I think is something that that's important. Not not all my works are like this, or maybe they are well. But anyways, I think it's time to start the piece. Okay.

00:36:57.150 - 00:37:17.370

Thank you. So, it gives me given a great pleasure now to introduce a phenomenal phenomenally talented young pianist, a good friend of mine from New York. And not only is he a great pianist, he had

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the right outfit. So please welcome Terrence Wilson.