Dance of Troffea (Toccata for Wind Symphony), Op. 97 by Louie
Madrid Calleja
Premiered and performed by the Band of the Royal Regiment of Canada at the Glenn Gould Studio on Sunday 6 November 2022.
A toccata, a dance macabre, representing the Dance Plague that occurred in Strasbourg in the summer of 1518.
It started with one person, a Frau Troffea.
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Argentum, Op. 94 by Louie Madrid Calleja
Commissioned (and premiered) by the Clarington Concert Band to commemorate their
25th anniversary in 2017.
It is a concert march fused with elements of a sonata and a toccata.
Performed
on 28 October 2018 at the Glenn Gould Studio by the Band of the Royal Regiment of Canada (with members of the Pipes and Drums
of the 48th Highlanders of Canada) conducted by Capt. Kevin Anderson.
This piece is unpublished.
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The Passing of October, Op. 89 by Louie
Madrid Calleja
Part of the nature of change is its ability
to alter perception over time. This becomes evident when special moments occurring at specific times in our life fade into
memory. The title points to one that occurred on a rainy October night in 2011.
The piece falls in two sections:
I. "Elegy" - Adagio melancolico é molto tenuto (0:07)
II. Allegro furioso é molto appassionato (3:46)
Performed by the Paskke String Quartet at Mary Lake Shrine (King City, Ontario. CANADA). 5 October 2015.
Kevin Leung, violin 1
Simon Lau, violin 2
Sarah Torrance, viola
Paul Hudspith, violoncello
Inspired by T.J.B. and dedicated to the AIRIS String Quartet (Poland). This piece is unpublished.
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Soliloquy, Op. 40a by Louie
Madrid Calleja (Louie Madrid Calleja, conductor)
The piece was a going-away
present for a close friend and her family. Composed in 1994 and revised early 2014, it is arch form in structure and unified
by a short motif in the tuba and a flowing 8-measure melody.
Performed at the Newmarket Theatre by the massed band
of the Canadian Band Association (Ontario Chapter) on October 5, 2014 hosted by the Newmarket Citizen's Band.
This
piece is unpublished.
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Where
the Dragonflies Swoon, Op. 92 by Louie Madrid Calleja (Louie Madrid Calleja, conductor).
Commissioned
by Mr. Ulrich Kretschmar and the Orillia Wind Ensemble.
It
is based on a poem I composed in the Spring of 2012 entitled “The Invitation.”
(To T.J.B.)
Look with me to
the sunrise
As we hold hands
Feeling the breeze
blow
And the cool stream
flow
Beneath our feet.
Let us go, you
and I,
Into green valleys,
Where the dragonflies
swoon
By the sleeping
moon,
Dreaming of the
future,
Forgetting the
past,
Trickling into
droplets
Like falling sand
in an hourglass.
Let us seek shelter
In stormy weather;
Let us laugh,
let us love,
Let us think of
Time -
Of the moments
we have,
And the moments
we’ve had -
Looking at each
other
And wondering:
"How do you know
when forever arrives?"
Look with me to
the sunrise
And come with
me on this journey.
Let us call on
friends
And laugh until
our tears flow,
Feeling the breeze
blow
In Nature's warm
glow,
Until we wearily
venture
Into the kingdom
Of peaceful Sleep.
Although not a literal setting of the poem, it seeks to capture certain
images and explore some of the symbolism in the text. Among them are:
1. Church bells – these have always been represented throughout
history as the markers of time. They also herald celebration and mourning.
2. Dragonfly – a symbol of renewal, of constant change. The
gracefulness and speed of this creature is represented by the florid passages in the solo flute.
3. Death, resurrection, and the voice of God – these are
commonly represented by the trombones in Lutheran literature. The trombones set the harmonic foundation at key moments in
the piece, giving the unstable modulations stability, dignity, solemnity, and nobility.
4. The awareness of life (“journey”) and death (“Sleep”).
Performed by Erika Broughton (solo flute) and the Orillia Wind Ensemble (St. Paul's
United Church. Orillia, Ontario. June 1, 2013).
This piece is unpublished
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Gethsemane,
Op. 85 by Louie Madrid Calleja (Louie Madrid Calleja, conductor)
This piece is dedicated to Zosimo Coralde Calleja, Sr. - patriarch,
farmer, schoolmaster, respected politician, and my grandfather - who passed away in May 30, 2006. He was a man who led by
example and little words; a man who dedicated his life to his family, his community, his Roman Catholicism, and the guiding
principle that life must be lived with dignity and honour regardless of the trials and tribulations one might encounter -
a universal right that not even God or death can take away.
I
found it fitting to honour his memory by reflecting on the events that took place in the garden of Gethsemane the night before
Christ's crucifixion - a man who witnessed his own death and yet able to rise above the fear to embrace what must happen
with dignity and courage.
The
piece is a through-composed tone-poem. The solo trumpet functions as commentator, narrator, and participant throughout the
piece.
Performed
by Suraj Rajkumar and the Band and Bugles of the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada (Cody Hall, Toronto. May 4, 2013).
This
piece is unpublished.
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Passacaglia, Op. 72 by Louie Madrid Calleja (Louie Madrid Calleja,
conductor)
(Dedicated to C.A.C.)
To the one I loved,
To the one I lost,
To the memory of the person
that she once was.
Music is what emotions sound like, and this piece is an exploration of grief associated
with separation - of the emotion, of the tension, of acceptance.
It is a polyphonic work unified by a 5-bar melody (first stated in the tubas) that
serves as a "cantus firmus." Written in 2001 and premiered in 2002, it is the first piece dedicated to the "Eternal
Feminine" - a piece that sparked other pieces under the same dedication.
This performance is by the Festival Wind Orchestra at the Betty Oliphant Theatre
in Toronto conducted by the composer (15 December 2012).
This piece is unpublished.
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From An Observation of the Coin, Op. 67 by Louie
Madrid Calleja (Louie Madrid Calleja, conductor)
A piece used as one of the example found in the Masters' Thesis, "Approaches
to Counterpoint" (2001) and inspired by Schopenhauer's "Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung." It is a Prelude and Fugue for
wind symphony and a commentary on the two sides of the human condition - the cerebral and the physical.
The Prelude
(0:11 to 3:12) is a "Klangfarbenmelodie" (tone-colour melody) in cyclic form constructed
from a progression of pitch-sets that are orchestrated in unorthodox ways. It represents the cerebral side of the human condition.
The
Fugue (3:13 to 5:34) is constructed from two themes in the Aeolian mode. It begins as a traditional
fugue that spirals into "decay" and "chaos" towards the end, the themes (or "seeds") of its construction becoming the source
of its nihilistic demise. It represents the physical side of the human condition.
Performed by the York University
Wind Symphony (a group consisting of music majors and non-music majors) at Dacary Hall in McLaughlin College conducted by
the composer (Spring, 2000).
The piece is unpublished.
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Scherzo,
Op. 83 by Louie Madrid Calleja (Stephen Chenette, conductor)
World premiere by the Northdale Concert Band on December 3, 2006 with commentary by Professor Emeritus
(University of Toronto) Stephen Chenette. St. Jude's Anglican Church, Scarborough.
This piece is unpublished.
Transcript
of Speech
"...first
performances of new music, always an exciting time! The Scherzo that Louie wrote is dedicated to the Eternal Feminine. It
must've been a very strong 'feminine' because this piece is about five minutes of non-stop energy and intensity, and I predict
that it's going to become a standard repertoire piece [for] bands that are good enough to play it..."
Professor Emeritus Stephen Chenette (University of Toronto)
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Message in Scarlet, Op. 80 by Louie Madrid Calleja (Louie Madrid
Calleja, conductor)
Commissioned by the Hart House Symphonic Band (Keith Reid, music director).
A performance by the composite band of the Canadian Band Association (Ontario)
hosted by the Silverthorn Symphonic Winds at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. As in previous band weekends,
these individuals only received the music the day before and rehearsed twice.
It is introduced by Professor Emeritus (University of Toronto) Stephen Chenette.
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Somnium Diabolicum, Op. 79 by Louie Madrid Calleja (conducted by Louie Madrid Calleja)
A tone-poem for wind symphony. Inspired by images from "Inferno"(Dante), the Orpheus legend, as well as verses from the Dhammapada.
It is a story of a traveler who undergoes a journey into his personal Hell in search of redemption. In this journey he discovers
that who he thought was the source of his joy has become the cause of his pain.
The piece is divided into five sections, each representing an episode in the nightmare:
I. Prelude
II. The "Longing"
III. The "Awakening"
IV. The "'Descendit ad inferos' (descent into the dead) & Transformation"
V. The "Redemption"
Performed by the Northdale Concert Band.
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Videos: Concert Segments
"Music for a Darkened Theatre"
Northdale Concert Band
October 28, 2012
Highlights from "Exodus" (music by Ernest Gold; arr. Alfred Reed)
"Viktor's Tale" from the "The Terminal" (music by John Williams; arr.
Caryn Rasmussen. Carol Anne Lynch, clarinet)
Colonel Bogey March (music by Keneth J. Alford)
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from "Wizard of Oz" (music by Harold Arlen;
arr. Warren Baker. Cindy Golliger, alto saxophone)
Funeral March of a Marionette (music by Charles Gounod; arr. Harry
Huffnagle)
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Canadian Band Association (Ontario) Weekend
Orillia Wind Ensemble (2011)
Air for Band by Frank Erickson (Louie Madrid Calleja,
conductor)
A performance by the composite band of the Canadian Band Association (Ontario) hosted
by the Orillia Wind Ensemble at the Orillia Opera House for the annual CBA Band Weekend. It is a celebration of amateur
music-making. These individuals only received the music the day before and rehearsed twice.
