I got my complimentary copies of my arrangement of The Love Of God, today, so it’s finally time to post the audio file that I’ve been withholding for quite some time now. This is a brand-new release from Hal Leonard’s Brookfield division. It’s a thoughtful setting of this timeless, classic hymn, for SATB, piano, and optional solo violin. This demo recording also uses the available string orchestration. I tried to give great attention to setting the nuances of the rich, poetic text- hopefully it comes through.
The anthem (with sample pages) is available here, and the orchestration is available here.
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The “NEW MUSIC” tab has been updated with a more current list of publications and forthcoming publications. My fall 2007 output is limited because of the amount of time I spent this spring on DE PROFUNDIS, and the amount of time I spent this summer on moving and settling in. I hope to remedy this publishing pause shortly…:-)
The Choral Journal (magazine of the American Choral Director’s Association) has a very complimentary review of Selah in the September issue, after printing a fine review of Look, Ye Saints! in the August issue…
Also, Creator Magazine has listed “Hosanna” and “Amen” from Words From Paradise in their October “Select Twenty”…
I was growing weary of “Misty Look”, and found this theme….which seems perfect for a guy named “Forrest”…!
Also, (skipping the long story that has to do with tax purposes) I recently renamed my composition business as “ForrestWorks”. “The Music Of Dan Forrest” is now the name of my LLC. A fair amount of hassle, but it should save significant tax dollars, which is indeed a good thing!
Pardon the changes over the next few days as we keep tweaking things to try to get them looking “just right”…MANY thanks to my own personal tech advisor (a.k.a. Brian Bondari!!!) for all his help! I definitely owe him an Indian meal…
…is a very joyous one, indeed. I said to several people tonight- some composers might live their entire lives and not be as blessed as I’ve been tonight…or some might have something like this happen and then die happy! But here I am, not yet at my 30th birthday, and I’ve been blessed this richly.
Tonight was the first ever all-Forrest concert- something I’ve only dreamed of. In some ways, it was surreal- almost like I was observing myself, outside of myself- if that makes any sense. It’s hard to be “in the moment” without getting distracted by what the moment really is at that point.
It was also unusual, because I knew, at every moment, what note came next. There weren’t any surprises- and in that sense it wasn’t the most fulfilling listening! 
But from conductor to choristers to percussionists to soloists- everything was just wonderful. And it was musical. Warren Cook’s interpretations were fabulous, and the music-making was wonderful.
Other all-Forrest concerts may happen down the road (in fact, the next one is already scheduled during my residency in Houston next semester, and we’re working on the programming now…)… but tonight will always be the first…and I won’t soon forget it. Many thanks to all of you who took part.
For those of you who are asking: The recording will indeed be available through the Campus Store, hopefully within a few weeks.
I’m hoping some other bloggers (performers, audience members, etc…) will post their impressions of the concert, over the next few days, and I’ll link to them as they show up…
Attended the dress rehearsal tonight…Tomorrow night should be just fabulous- Dr Cook and the combined choirs are truly making music, not just reading notes. This is a composer’s dream come true!
The two concerts have completely sold out- all 1200 tickets (!) are gone. But you can still get in the door at 5 minute before either concert, without a ticket, as long as there are still empty seats available…
Another post (from another choir member) about the concert can be read here. Thanks, Joey!
We’re back in South Carolina, now, after a long drive back today.
The concert in Kansas was a really neat time- I talked about Words From Paradise, then they sang Hallelujah, Hosanna, and Amen (and Lucy Conklin now holds the official title of Most Beautiful Solo Ever On Amen- up to the high B! I usually “brace myself” when that comes- but she absolutely nailed it- it was stunning!).
Then Anthony Silvestri talked about Sleep (the famous Robert Frost story) and Leonardo Dreams, followed by performances of both of those pieces.
Then the Chamber Choir premiered Oread Farewell, so the audience could hear what Tony and I were talking about- then we discussed how the piece came together, and then they sang it once more to close the concert.
The whole thing came together quite nicely, and people seemed genuinely fascinated with the whole creative process…and yes, I did get one “Wow- I didn’t know composers were still LIVING!” comment.
Now, on to the BJU “ForrestFest” concert, Friday night. You can read one choirmember’s blog post about it, here…
More to come…
Having a great time in Kansas…got to see lots of old friends, students, and colleagues yesterday at KU…had a nice lunch at the Burge Onion Union with Jim Barnes and Brian Bondari…got to eat at India Palace (May It Live Forever!) Sunday with Brian and Katrina, too.
Got to hear Chamber Choir yesterday, preparing for the concert- worked with them on some performance suggestions- especially tempo for Hallelujah and Hosanna, and some rubato in Oread Farewell.
Also had a nice small-group chat yesterday including Anthony Silvestri and me, regarding creativity. Tony highlighted several things that I’m always trying to tell my composition students- not the least of which is, we all have to FIGHT “cliches” and “already-done” ideas, fiercely- and that takes TIME. Interestingly, though, I usually have to leave my work for a day, to come back to it and judge it objectively (and sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised, and sometimes I’m disappointed)…whereas Tony will work hour after hour, once he’s “on to something”, to get it just right- and he can tell immediately. Maybe it’s a difference in personality,…or quite possibly it’s a difference between being a tunesmith (which is so much more ephemeral), and being a wordsmith (which is, at least in some respects, more concrete).
So…tonight’s the concert, 7:30 PM at Corpus Christi in Lawrence. It’ll be a neat format- featuring my music, Silvestri’s words, and the Chamber Choir’s interpretations, with discussions from composer, lyricist, and conductor. Then Oread Farewell will be premiered; then Tony and I will discuss how we put it all together…then the concert will close with a reprise of Oread Farewell. The ABA form of “performance, discussion, performance” will, I hope, be enlightening and satisfying for the audience.
Rock Chalk!
We’re off to Kansas in the morning…looking forward to seeing all our old friends, my former students, my colleagues at KU, and eventually the Forrest/Silvestri concert on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, things are busy here in Greenville, as two choirs, a percussion ensemble, a horn, a few soprano soloists, a conductor, and a featured composer get ready for “ForrestFest- A Welcome Back Concert”, at BJU (Stratton Hall), Friday Oct 19, 6:30 and 8:00 PM. Tickets are required but are FREE, and can be picked up at the BJU Music Library desk. The whole concert is Forrest music- the first concert of its kind- we’re thrilled, and excited!
First, though, off to Kansas- we’ll be hanging out with friends in Lawrence, and I’ll be meeting with some student groups and classes at KU, and doing a couple appearances with Anthony Silvestri, before the concert Tuesday night.
Use the Contact Dan tab if you’re in either locale, and need more info about either concert.
More posts soon from Kansas…
