Henning's Headquarters

[Karl Henning]

The Middlesex Community College Music Department has a World of Music Concert Series. I think we now have an in to get the Henning Ensemble on that series. 

[Karl Henning]

The Odd Thought

Separately, the laptop's "Read Selection Aloud" function (which I sometimes invoke for entertainment) is surprisingly proicient. (Good AI?)

[Karl Henning]

Airy Daring

[Karl Henning]

Enrichment of the Dark Side

[Cato]

Airy Daring

Enrichment of the Dark Side

Thanks for the updates on your works!

Meerenai Shim!  The name intrigued me: she has a website, where she says she is licensed in something called Feldenkrais Therapy.

q.v.  Meerenai Shim and Feldenkrais Therapy

[Karl Henning]

A Little More Darkness

[Karl Henning]

A Little More Darkness

I think I may have finished with incorporating the soprano clarinet and bassoon. Will confirm tomorrow. Meanwhile, a small adventure: my first trip on the MBTA Commuter Rail since the stroke. Going to Lowell for the Lowell Chamber Orchestra concert. 

[Karl Henning]

Program:
Mendelssohn, e minor String Symphony
Adolphus Hailstork, Two Romances (1997)
Jeremy Kiernbaum, viola
Max Bruch, Romanze, Op. 85 (1911)
Jeremy Kiernbaum, viola
Simon Andrews, Till Voices Wake Us (2020, rev. 2025) World Première
Winner of the 2024 Call-for-Scores
Stravinsky, Pulcinella Suite (1920)

[Cato]

Program:
Mendelssohn, e minor String Symphony
Adolphus Hailstork, Two Romances (1997)
Jeremy Kiernbaum, viola
Max Bruch, Romanze, Op. 85 (1911)
Jeremy Kiernbaum, viola
Simon Andrews, Till Voices Wake Us (2020, rev. 2025) World Première
Winner of the 2024 Call-for-Scores
Stravinsky, Pulcinella Suite (1920)

You must give us your review of the "Till Voices Wake" !    

[Karl Henning]

You must give us your review of the "Till Voices Wake" !   

Interestingly, he separated the basses, so that there was a cello and a double-bass on either side of the conductor. The piece opens and closes with a kind of seesaw between two close pitches in the high strings with highlights in the harp and antique cymbals. Excellent scoring, beautiful colors. I'm sure Orlando will cast it onto YouTube at some point. I'll keep an eye out. The composer was in the hall, so it was nice to be able to congratulate him. 

[Karl Henning]

Revisiting this with both pleasure and pride:

[Karl Henning]

As a Matter of Fact, It's All Dark

[Karl Henning]

As a Matter of Fact, It's All Dark

At this point, all that remains for me to do is to add a bass clarinet part (for Dan) and bassoon part (for Greta) to the Op. 197 Rahsaan Roland Kirk Fantasia. But my brain feels like it's worked quite enough for the weekend. I have kind of an active morning tomorrow, but perhaps after a refreshing nap upon my return home, I may address myself to the task. Definitely downing tools for now.

[Karl Henning]

At this point, all that remains for me to do is to add a bass clarinet part (for Dan) and bassoon part (for Greta) to the Op. 197 Rahsaan Roland Kirk Fantasia.

I got good work done this morning. I feel there's a good chance I can finish it up this afternoon.

[Karl Henning]

I called Dan today. I'm thrilled to be bringing Todd into the band, but I wanted to make sure that Dan doesn't mind being "reassigned" to a different part. All is well. 

[Karl Henning]

I got good work done this morning. I feel there's a good chance I can finish it up this afternoon.

Work on expanding the Fantasia on a Theme of Rahsaan Roland Kirk scoring is the second time I have somehow triggered a bug in Sibelius: I've been working on a score, everything is comme il faut and then for some mysterious reason after a copy-&-paste operation, the file no longer plays back. Tried closing and re-opening Sibelius. Tried shutting down and re-starting the laptop. Since I work with an old version which I bought outright and do not subscribe to the newer version, I get no Customer Support (which was always on the spotty side, really.) Anyway, I think I'm done, though I should really want playback of the state of the score for my ear to confirm that my fingers did the work I intended.
I am fortunate in having a patient friend who has graciously permitted me to outsource the occasional MIDI export operation. The ears appear satisfied.

[Karl Henning]

At an early-ish point in the process, I half-wondered if I might be spoiling an excellent, streamlined piece. But I soon set that nagging down to an echo of (rightly) discarding my first attempt in the opening statement. The fact is, I love the "fatter" sound. I don't believe I've muddied things. In a way, my gravest concern was that the clarinet solo (in m.263) which answers the flutes and which, when I first composed the piece in December, I presumed that Dan would play, well, I felt a pang that Todd was "taking that away" from Dan, which felt like shabby treatment. Since it's all pretty mad imitation, though, the easily obvious solution was adding an entrance for the bass clarinet. And I almost immediately decided that the bass clarinet and bassoon should play it in unison and thus we enjoy an entirely new color.

[Karl Henning]

It's Easier Than You May Think

[Cato]

At an early-ish point in the process, I half-wondered if I might be spoiling an excellent, streamlined piece. But I soon set that nagging down to an echo of (rightly) discarding my first attempt in the opening statement. The fact is, I love the "fatter" sound. I don't believe I've muddied things. In a way, my gravest concern was that the clarinet solo (in m.263) which answers the flutes and which, when I first composed the piece in December, I presumed that Dan would play, well, I felt a pang that Todd was "taking that away" from Dan, which felt like shabby treatment. Since it's all pretty mad imitation, though, they easily obvious solution was adding an entrance for the bass clarinet. And I almost immediately decided that the bass clarinet bassoon should play it in unison and thus we enjoy an entirely new color.

By no means are things muddied!  The work occasionally reminds me of some of Honegger's jaunty chamber works, so you are in very good company!  😇

[Karl Henning]

It's Easier Than You May Think

The last task is what should be a relatively quick (since four of the six parts I proofed earlier) look over the parts, and then delivery to the band.