Music for 50 Players

John Hilliard’s “Music for 50 Players” was commissioned and premiered at the 2003 Staunton Music Festival during the first Piano Extravaganza. Following a quiet rumble at the very bottom of the keyboard, the piece launches a skipwise, jagged motif that the composer calls the “American theme.” As one might expect from five players in such tight quarters, there are numerous physical and rhythmic maneuvers to coordinate. The climax comes as a furious finish of increasing chromaticism, culminating in note clusters à la Henry Cowell. Hilliard dashes the intensity with a comic jab at twelve-tone composition; here the players give their hands a rest while their voices—some forced into falsetto—sing out a twelve-tone theme. Their hands are soon back to work, and even their elbows cannot restrain from joining in. Another jab at avant-garde techniques occurs at the very end, as pointillism gets the last word in this festive romp.

(c) Jason Stell