Tarot Symphonies
Here are most of my orchestral works, listed as Symphonies: from 0-21 as loosely connected with the cards of the Tarot. This was done out of respect and devotion to the deck, and my personal inability to remember this complicated system. (This later problem is slowly being corrected by this project.)
My standard orchestra consists of double wood winds with auxiliaries; double brass with tuba; percussion, timpani, harp and or piano and celesta; and strings. Listed here are the approximate timings, movements (if applicable), changes to my standard orchestral forces, and a short description of the stories associated with the works. A more detailed story analysis for several of the works can be found under "Gothic Ballets" or "Gothic Operas."
0. The Innocent: The Wood Sprite (5 minutes; one movement; single brass, no tuba or harp; The Wood Sprite helps a child find her way.)
1. The Magician: Scaramouche et Pulcinella (12 minutes; 3 movements, no harp or tuba, only 1 trumpet; with the help of a magician puppets come to life. A synthesized version by Michael Rafferty was used in the futuristic video "Now and Then." Alternate versions: "Pierot" ensemble; and octet of winds and strings: 1/1/1/1 1/1/1/1. The Pierot version is in preparation for performance at The Aichi University of The Arts in Japan; Romualdo Barone, clarinet.)
2. The High Priestess: Clover Ceres (14 minutes; 6 movements; Forbidden love of two drag queens: Clover is imprisoned and rescued by Maya.)
3. The Empress: The Great Liberator (30 minutes; 5 movements. The Great Liborator rescues several beings in a dream world before finding her way home by remembering the love of a wild woman; thus she escapes capture by The Collector. Alternate version: 4 winds, 4 strings and harp, See "Chamber Music.")
4. The Emperor: Scrooge (40 minutes; 7 movements; 1 trombone; 5-8 percussion, piano, harp, stings, after Charles Dickens. Commissioned and performed with percussion, piano, harpsichord, harp, percussion and viola solo by The Copley Square Ballet Company; see "Chamber Music" and "Gothic Ballet.")
5. The Hierophant: This Old Man (10 minutes; 5 parody movements; single winds, trumpet, percussion, and strings; Synthesized selections used in "Nostradomus 23" which was cablecast on BNN-TV. See "Keyboard Music.")
6. The Lovers: Orpheus and Eurydice (15 minutes, 6 movements; shorter version: 8 minutes, 3 sections; viola concerto, with percussion and string orchestra, alternative versions with piano have more for the soloist to play; see "Chamber Music."; after "The Lovers" by Marc Chagall, and based on the Greek Myth with a happy ending and dedicated to my partner, Andrew Swan.)
7. The Chariot: Transformations (10 minutes; theme and 8 variations; string orchestra. Dedicated to my husband, Andrew Swan)
8. Adjustment: Song of War (12 minutes; 3 movements; single winds and strings, no harp; or string orchestra with violin solo or string quintet: 2/1/1/1)
9. The Hermit in The Crystal Forest (15 minutes; with tenor saxophone. Sections, for piano, were used in "Medusa Sedusa" which was cablecast on BNN-TV. See "Keyboard Music.")
10. The Wheel of Fortune: Paradise Regained (15 minutes; 3 movements; string orchestra or string nonet: 4/2/2/1. See also "Chamber Music." The first movement was performed by Eileen Feldman with dancers, and also used in "Dinos in Space" as part of "Crazy Dinosaurs" cablecast on BNN-TV. The middle movement, originally for flute octet, commissioned by Donald Maher. The final movement, originally for chorus (withheld) and commissioned by St. Chrystostrom's Church in West Roxbury, MA)
11. Lust: Streetcar Named Desire (15 minutes; "Symphony Concertante" for violin and viol with percussion, timpani, harp and strings; after the play by Tennessee Williams.)
12. The Hanged Man: Gothic Noel (10 minutes; 5 parody movements; single winds, percussion, piano, optional celesta, harp and strings. Selections for synthesizer were cablecast on BNN-TV as "Nostrodamus 23". Selections performed by harpist, Michael Rafferty at "Oasis" and other venues, see "Piano Sonatina." See Keyboard Works.)
13. Death: Lace (1 and a half minutes; one movement; small orchestra; performed by Michael Rafferty on the harp at Oasis, Boston.)
14. Art: Cloud Blue (6 minutes; string orchestra; based on the background color in Renaissance paintings; strings'; recorded by The Juilliard String Orchestra under Thomas Ludwig)
15. The Dvil: Mephisto's Dance: Violin Concerto (20 minutes in 4 movements: one trombone and tuba, extensive harp and marimba parts; three other versions: violin with: 1. piano; 2. piano and string quintet (piano septet); and 3. percussion, piano and strings, see "Chamber Music." The third movement of the Piano Sonatina (see "Keyboard Music") was expanded to create the first and third movements.)
16. The Tower: Stupet tergeminus novo (Orpheus in The Underworld): (low voice; 15 minute cycle of 7 songs in Latin, text by Boethius. This version has an unhappy ending. Cablecast, by the composer, with piano, on BNN-TV as part of "Crazy-Dinosaurs.")
17. The Star: (4 minutes, Passacaglia for string orchestra.)
18. The Moon: Lunar Eclipse (7 and a half minutes; tenor saxophone or bass clarinet with harp or piano and strings. Performed by Christian Contreras, tenor saxophone and Yelena Beriyeva with Boston Metro Opera)
19. The Sun: Piano Concerto (15 minutes; 3 movements; piano solo with strings, and percussion or piano with string quintet: 2/1/1/1)
20. The Aeon: Paradise Lost (21 minutes, 15 minutes if played without repeats) in 3 movements: For large orchestra: 3/3/3/3 4/3/3/1 with soprano solo in movement II (poem the Thomas Taylor translation of an Orphic Hymn); or Concert Band (as above, S. A. T. B. saxophones and no strings). Movement III performed twice by The M. I. T. Concert Band under John Corely and used in "The Plague" as part of "Crazy Dinosaurs" cablecast on BNN-TV.)
21. The Universe: Kali (14 minutes; 4 singers (CMAB), double woodwinds, percussion, harp, violin solo (open strings sawed by an actress); 5 movements. Starts as all things are about to begin and ends as all things end. The middle 3 movements explore the life of ordinary objects: window, chair, table, sofa, pen, paper, flame and candle. Performed, with synthesized tape, by The Acting Singers Project with Carol Millard, Danute Mileko and David Walther.) See "Gothic Opera.")
The Masque of The Red Death: (6 minutes; no harp. Based on Edgar Allan Poe. Read by The Juilliard Concert Orchestra under Thomas Ludwig, otherwise unperformed. This work was not given a position in the Tarot Symphonies, as the last page is missing.)
My standard orchestra consists of double wood winds with auxiliaries; double brass with tuba; percussion, timpani, harp and or piano and celesta; and strings. Listed here are the approximate timings, movements (if applicable), changes to my standard orchestral forces, and a short description of the stories associated with the works. A more detailed story analysis for several of the works can be found under "Gothic Ballets" or "Gothic Operas."
0. The Innocent: The Wood Sprite (5 minutes; one movement; single brass, no tuba or harp; The Wood Sprite helps a child find her way.)
1. The Magician: Scaramouche et Pulcinella (12 minutes; 3 movements, no harp or tuba, only 1 trumpet; with the help of a magician puppets come to life. A synthesized version by Michael Rafferty was used in the futuristic video "Now and Then." Alternate versions: "Pierot" ensemble; and octet of winds and strings: 1/1/1/1 1/1/1/1. The Pierot version is in preparation for performance at The Aichi University of The Arts in Japan; Romualdo Barone, clarinet.)
2. The High Priestess: Clover Ceres (14 minutes; 6 movements; Forbidden love of two drag queens: Clover is imprisoned and rescued by Maya.)
3. The Empress: The Great Liberator (30 minutes; 5 movements. The Great Liborator rescues several beings in a dream world before finding her way home by remembering the love of a wild woman; thus she escapes capture by The Collector. Alternate version: 4 winds, 4 strings and harp, See "Chamber Music.")
4. The Emperor: Scrooge (40 minutes; 7 movements; 1 trombone; 5-8 percussion, piano, harp, stings, after Charles Dickens. Commissioned and performed with percussion, piano, harpsichord, harp, percussion and viola solo by The Copley Square Ballet Company; see "Chamber Music" and "Gothic Ballet.")
5. The Hierophant: This Old Man (10 minutes; 5 parody movements; single winds, trumpet, percussion, and strings; Synthesized selections used in "Nostradomus 23" which was cablecast on BNN-TV. See "Keyboard Music.")
6. The Lovers: Orpheus and Eurydice (15 minutes, 6 movements; shorter version: 8 minutes, 3 sections; viola concerto, with percussion and string orchestra, alternative versions with piano have more for the soloist to play; see "Chamber Music."; after "The Lovers" by Marc Chagall, and based on the Greek Myth with a happy ending and dedicated to my partner, Andrew Swan.)
7. The Chariot: Transformations (10 minutes; theme and 8 variations; string orchestra. Dedicated to my husband, Andrew Swan)
8. Adjustment: Song of War (12 minutes; 3 movements; single winds and strings, no harp; or string orchestra with violin solo or string quintet: 2/1/1/1)
9. The Hermit in The Crystal Forest (15 minutes; with tenor saxophone. Sections, for piano, were used in "Medusa Sedusa" which was cablecast on BNN-TV. See "Keyboard Music.")
10. The Wheel of Fortune: Paradise Regained (15 minutes; 3 movements; string orchestra or string nonet: 4/2/2/1. See also "Chamber Music." The first movement was performed by Eileen Feldman with dancers, and also used in "Dinos in Space" as part of "Crazy Dinosaurs" cablecast on BNN-TV. The middle movement, originally for flute octet, commissioned by Donald Maher. The final movement, originally for chorus (withheld) and commissioned by St. Chrystostrom's Church in West Roxbury, MA)
11. Lust: Streetcar Named Desire (15 minutes; "Symphony Concertante" for violin and viol with percussion, timpani, harp and strings; after the play by Tennessee Williams.)
12. The Hanged Man: Gothic Noel (10 minutes; 5 parody movements; single winds, percussion, piano, optional celesta, harp and strings. Selections for synthesizer were cablecast on BNN-TV as "Nostrodamus 23". Selections performed by harpist, Michael Rafferty at "Oasis" and other venues, see "Piano Sonatina." See Keyboard Works.)
13. Death: Lace (1 and a half minutes; one movement; small orchestra; performed by Michael Rafferty on the harp at Oasis, Boston.)
14. Art: Cloud Blue (6 minutes; string orchestra; based on the background color in Renaissance paintings; strings'; recorded by The Juilliard String Orchestra under Thomas Ludwig)
15. The Dvil: Mephisto's Dance: Violin Concerto (20 minutes in 4 movements: one trombone and tuba, extensive harp and marimba parts; three other versions: violin with: 1. piano; 2. piano and string quintet (piano septet); and 3. percussion, piano and strings, see "Chamber Music." The third movement of the Piano Sonatina (see "Keyboard Music") was expanded to create the first and third movements.)
16. The Tower: Stupet tergeminus novo (Orpheus in The Underworld): (low voice; 15 minute cycle of 7 songs in Latin, text by Boethius. This version has an unhappy ending. Cablecast, by the composer, with piano, on BNN-TV as part of "Crazy-Dinosaurs.")
17. The Star: (4 minutes, Passacaglia for string orchestra.)
18. The Moon: Lunar Eclipse (7 and a half minutes; tenor saxophone or bass clarinet with harp or piano and strings. Performed by Christian Contreras, tenor saxophone and Yelena Beriyeva with Boston Metro Opera)
19. The Sun: Piano Concerto (15 minutes; 3 movements; piano solo with strings, and percussion or piano with string quintet: 2/1/1/1)
20. The Aeon: Paradise Lost (21 minutes, 15 minutes if played without repeats) in 3 movements: For large orchestra: 3/3/3/3 4/3/3/1 with soprano solo in movement II (poem the Thomas Taylor translation of an Orphic Hymn); or Concert Band (as above, S. A. T. B. saxophones and no strings). Movement III performed twice by The M. I. T. Concert Band under John Corely and used in "The Plague" as part of "Crazy Dinosaurs" cablecast on BNN-TV.)
21. The Universe: Kali (14 minutes; 4 singers (CMAB), double woodwinds, percussion, harp, violin solo (open strings sawed by an actress); 5 movements. Starts as all things are about to begin and ends as all things end. The middle 3 movements explore the life of ordinary objects: window, chair, table, sofa, pen, paper, flame and candle. Performed, with synthesized tape, by The Acting Singers Project with Carol Millard, Danute Mileko and David Walther.) See "Gothic Opera.")
The Masque of The Red Death: (6 minutes; no harp. Based on Edgar Allan Poe. Read by The Juilliard Concert Orchestra under Thomas Ludwig, otherwise unperformed. This work was not given a position in the Tarot Symphonies, as the last page is missing.)