Charles Boone, The Quickening Pollen
For Symphony Orchestra
Duration: 10:06
A Composers & Schools Commission for Lowell High School under the direction of Michele Winter
The Quickening Pollen was written to celebrate the 100th anniversary of music in the curriculum of Lowell High School in San Francisco. The title comes from a text written by James Russell Lowell, after whom the school is named: Books are the bees that carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind. Changing “Books are” to “Music is” gives a clue to the hopes behind this work. There is a pedagogical aspect to the piece; namely, to acquaint young musicians with 20th century vanguard notation and compositional possibilities. The score calls for violin and viola soloists whose parts may be doubled, a string ensemble of about fifty players, plus piano and three triangles. Musical materials, although fixed in succession, unfold somewhat freely, shaped on the spot by the conductor/coordinator who, in this performance, is also its composer. Colorful in instrumentation, the work’s unity is based largely in its consistent harmonic language. The soloists, pianist, and ensemble musicians manage a degree of independence while being closely allied overall. The work is dedicated to Michele Winter, the orchestra’s exceptional conductor, and her remarkable Lowell students.