Page 21 - Phil Nov8th program digital book

Program Notes

successful masquerade at a court ball, led a full concert of his own works (March 11:
“His Majesty the Emperor loved it and applauded me wildly!”), completed the horn
concerto heard today, and Constanze was about to give birth to their first child,
Raimund Leopold.

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶

Reverie Gina Gillie
(b. 1981)
Gina Gillie’s tightly constructed, eleven-minute Reverie (arr. 2023) for horn and string
orchestra is an evocative, elegant arrangement of her 2019 Reverie for horn and piano.
The original chamber work was commissioned by Ashley Gulbranson, DMA for her
Phoenix Project: From the Ashes, and premiered at the Northwest Horn Symposium.
According to the composer, technical aspects of the solo part were designed to
address the challenges a player might face when recovering from focal dystonia or
embouchure injuries.
The composer writes:
“Parameters that are carefully considered in the writing include: range from
middle C to top line F, frequent rest, mostly scalar melodic lines, avoidance of
large upward leaps, fast passages that are slurred, use of the overtone series, and
relative freedom with initial attacks. While the piece is not about focal dystonia,
it is meant to be an accessible and musically fulfilling work for affected players.
This piece is also appropriate for players facing limitations related to braces,
embouchure changes, embouchure injuries, and other neuromuscular challenges.
The title, Reverie for Horn and Piano, refers to the idea of a dream and the
divergent scenes dreams might have. The opening motif sets a mysterious
tone and returns between dream scenes to unite each of the parts. The music
is written with particular flavors that are designed to evoke certain images or
personal feelings, which can then be tailored to each performer’s story.”
Dr. Gina Gillie is a sought-after composer and soloist who holds a DMA in Horn
Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A 2006 Tanglewood
Orchestral Fellow, she has served as a Professor of Music at Pacific Lutheran
University and the Assistant Principal Horn for Symphony Tacoma. While in graduate
school, she began her foray into composition as well as the natural horn, both of
which have become specialties for her. As a composer, she enjoys writing chamber
music for horn and other instruments, and she frequently receives commissions. Her
compositions are published through Brass Arts Unlimited, RM Williams Publishing,
and Veritas Musica Publishing; Professor James Boldin (University of Louisiana) has
just released a well-received world-premiere recording of five of Gillie’s chamber works
featuring horn.

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶

25/26
S
20
Season 2025/26 ~ 19
eason
~ 19