Frozen in Time

Avner Dorman

General Info

Year: 2007
Duration: c. 25:00
Difficulty: (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Schirmer
Cost: Score and Parts - Rental   |   Score Only - $0.00

Movements

I. Indoafrica
II. Eurasia
III. The Americas

Instrumentation

Soloist

Mallet Percussion: Crotales & Glockenspiel & Vibraphone & Marimba & Almglocken
Drums: Snare Drum & Bass Drum & Timbales & Tom-toms & Djembe & Darbuka
Cymbals: Hi-hat & Crash Cymbal & Ride Cymbal & China Cymbal
Orchestra

Program Notes

The title Frozen in Time refers to imaginary snapshots of the Earth’s geological development from prehistoric times to the present day. Although we cannot be sure what the Earth looked like millions of years ago, most scientists agree that the separate continents used to be one mega-continent (as most agree that mankind descended from one prehistoric womb). Each movement imagines the music of a large prehistoric continent at a certain point in time:

I. Indoafrica: The piece opens with a grand gesture, like an avalanche, that is followed by a “time freeze.” The main theme of the first movement is based on South Indian rhythm cycles (Tālas) and scales. The range of the theme is gradually expanded like a spiral, as it would in classical Indian improvisation. The second theme is based on the inner rhythm of the Tāla, which is also found in some traditions of West-African music. As the solo percussionist starts playing the theme on the Marimba and the Cencerros (a keyboard of cowbells), it becomes more similar to Gamelan music of Southeast Asia. The soloist then returns to the drum-set and takes the music back to it African origins building the movement up to an ecstatic culmination. At this point, the opening avalanche returns as a burst of emotions rather than a natural phenomenon. After a short cadenza, the movement wraps up with a fugue that recaps the themes of the opening section.

II. Eurasia: The second movement is an exploration of the darker sides of the mega-continent of Eurasia where emotions run deep but are kept quiet (the movement mainly deals with the traditions of central Europe and central and eastern Asia). The opening bass drum rhythm (which is borrowed from the Siciliana) and the long high notes in the strings separate this movement from the outer ones in terms of geography and climate. Also, the fact that the soloist only uses metal instruments in this movement makes it colder and more northern in character. The melodic materials of this movement are inspired by Mozart’s Sicilianas which appear in some of his most intimate and moving movements (Piano Concerto K.488, Sonata K.280, Rondo K.511 and the aria “Ach, ich Fühl’s”). One can hear that war is brewing under the surface throughout the movement although it only erupts briefly in the form of central Asian bells and modes that invade the introspective mood of the Siciliana. The movement ends with a long meditation on the opening theme – with many moments frozen in time.

III. The Americas: The final movement is a snapshot of the present (The Americas are, in fact, still one continent). Moreover, the mixture of cultures is a staple of modern America. The final movement is constructed as a rondo. The refrain represents mainstream American styles (Broadway at first, American Symphonic style in its second repeat, Mellow Jazz in the third, and Grunge Music – Seattle Style Rock – in its final repeat). The episodic sections explore other sounds of the Americas: the Tango, AfroCuban Jazz, Swing, and Minimalism. As American music is by nature inclusive, the movement includes a recapitulation of African, European and Asian music, tying the piece together.

Reviews

If you thought that it was Mahler’s prerogative to set about composing the world, then think again. The Israeli composer Avner Dorman has done it too. In their first concert of the season with their principal conductor Kirill Karabits, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra presented the UK premiere of Dorman’s percussion showpiece, Frozen in Time, prior to touring the work in Germany with the Austrian mega-percussionist Martin Grubinger.

Within the space of 25 minutes, Dorman traverses Indoafrica, Eurasia and The Americas, in three fanciful yet tightly constructed movements. Frozen in Time is a playful world-music melange which stretches the orchestra and its own percussionists almost as much as its acrobatic virtuoso soloist.

Think South Indian rhythm cycles on speed; think gamelan; think Broadway, jazz and grunge — and those are only the outer movements. At the work’s still centre, time literally freezes. In Eurasia, according to Dorman, “emotions run deep but are kept quiet”: a Mozartian lilting siciliana is the drum-beat for a metallic freeze-fantasy, in which marimba notes melt into a mist of high violins, iced with celesta and piano. It’s unashamedly romantic; and rather as though a rococo take on Japanese temple music were being gently piped into an arctic ice-hotel.

The audience loved it…”

- Hilary Finch, The Times (London), November 2, 2012

As if anticipating the stifling heat that reduced Millennium Park to one big frying pan on Wednesday evening, the Grant Park Music Festival gave audience members a symbolic distraction in the form of – get ready for the irony — Avner Dorman’s “Frozen in Time.” The piece received its first local hearing courtesy of the Grant Park Orchestra under guest conductor James Gaffigan, who was making his festival debut.

Both the terrific contemporary score and Gaffigan proved as welcome as the cooling misters city officials had installed at the south end of the Great Lawn.

Dorman, 37, an Israeli-born composer who has been living in the U.S. since 2002, when he moved to New York to study with John Corigliano at the Juilliard School, is known for his omnivorous musical manner that tosses diverse musical styles in a blender and winds up with frothy concoctions that are not only remarkably coherent but also most enjoyable to perform and to listen to.

“Frozen in Time” is one such piece. A 25-minute percussion concerto written for Wednesday’s soloist, the young Austrian percussion whizbang, Martin Grubinger (who premiered it in Hamburg in 2007), its three movements purport to be “imaginary snapshots” of the primordial land masses that supposedly broke off from the continent of Pangaea – “Indoafrica,” “Eurasia” and “The Americas” are the movement titles.

The listener requires no such programmatic crutch to appreciate what this colorful, high-energy showpiece is about: two furious fast movements surrounding a slow, lyrical movement, moshing together grunge rock, Afro-Cuban jazz, ethnic, swing, blues and other popular musical impulses in a way that appears perfectly natural rather than simple-minded pastiche.

Playing from memory and surrounded by a battery of 23 (count ‘em) percussion instruments, Grubinger tore into the score like the virtuoso dervish he is. In the first movement, dizzying flights of marimba set off riffing exchanges with the orchestra, driven by jazzy rhythms in the brass, to which are added drums and a keyboard of cowbells. Everyone piled on as the music drove to a deafening climax.

Metallic percussion lent a Minimalist sheen to the calm central movement, in which Mozart’s sicilianas echoed in the shimmers of metallophone and Asian bells. The rondo finale was pure sonic fun, a melting pot of musical Americana turned up to a furious boil. The amazing Grubinger made it all sound like one big improvisation. Gaffigan supplied a remarkably tight accompaniment, and I especially liked the spontaneity with which soloist and orchestra traded whiplash licks.

– John von Rhein, The Chicago Tribune, July 27, 2012

The real firecracker – and one that went off in all directions – was the Dorman Percussion Concerto.

The Israeli-American Avner Dorman, born in 1975, was only known to me through a Naxos release of his piano music that I found “damn good” two years ago. Last season his Variations Without a Theme were premiered with the Nashville Orchestra (conducted by the secretly-superb Asher Fisch). Frozen in Time was commissioned by the young Austrian percussion wizard Martin Grubinger who premiered the work just two months ago in Hamburg and now presented it in Munich.

Grubinger was the very image of a little boy who, with unbridled joy and enthusiasm, red cheeks and a shock of obstinate blond hair, got to work on his noise-toy that had been built around him on all four sides like a little play castle. In three movements he charmed the dead-serious audience to appreciate and enjoy the humor and exhilaration of the concerto. “Indoafrica”, the first movement, is dominated by wooden sounds and organic shapes, and emphasized the marimba skills of Grubinger, the youngest finalist of the 2nd World Marimba Competition in Okaya (winner was MSU professor Gwendolyn Burgett Thrasher).

“Eurasia” is of a northern, metallic character. Extraordinary delicate and melodic moments, downright pretty (Mozart, by the composer’s own admission, never far away), and making much use of small Tibetan bells. Meditative parts with a prominent solo violin and more metallic plink dominate. The mechanical character of “The Americas” moves away from the multi-cultural ethnic and possibly ancient sounds that may well be “frozen in time” and arrives straight in the urban landscapes of America. Those who wish can hear tango and Afro-Cuban Jazz here – I heard reminders of Antheil and Varèse.

– Jens F. Laurson, ionarts.com, February 3, 2008

In his concert for percussion and orchestra, 32-year-old Israeli Avner Dorman definitely doesn’t tend toward modesty. Each of the three movements from Frozen in Time depicts one of the three land masses that emerged from the primordial continent Pangaea; “Indo-Africa”, “Eurasia” and “The Americas” he names them. Two quick, crazy, energetically composed main themes (“corner movements”) reflect the diverse music of these broadly stretched territories and frame a quiet, slow one. It is, however, everything but mellow even where it alludes to Mozart-like Sicilian rhythms. Because even if Martin Grubinger, for whom the concerto was written, switches in a crazily agile, wizard-like manner between two dozen instruments, he concentrates his efforts on the metallophone here.

In the finale, you get the feeling that someone wrapped the excessive dance rhythms from Leonard Bernstein’s “Westside Story”, sharpened again, in a new robe: the perfect image of the American melting pot.”

– Sueddeutsche Zeitung, January 26, 2008

The “classic” division of the work into three parts, does not disappoint the demand for contemporary at all. Instead it amuses due to the fact that here the familiar concerto form is filled with vibrant, up-to-date material that not only keeps the soloist on the go, but the orchestra quite busy as well. It is a successful piece because the head stays in the clouds, but the feet are firmly anchored to the ground.

– Laszlo Molnar , KlassikInfo.de, January 25, 2008

Recent Performances

January 24-26, 2008, Munich Philharmonic, Juraj Valcuha, conductor
August 15, 2008, NDR Radiophilharmonie, John Axelrod, conductor
October 16-18, 208, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, Alejandro Posada, conductor
November 15, 2008, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Chien Wen-Pin, conductor (Asian Premiere)
February 29, 2009, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hugh Wolff, conductor
October 8-9, 2009, Orquesta Sinfonica de Bilbao, Gunter Neuhold, conductor
January 19-20, 2010, Mannheim Philharmonic, Fabrice Bollon, conductor
February 26, 1010, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Frank Strobel, conductor
March 19, 2010, National Symphony of Taiwan, LÜ Shao-Chia, conductor
April 17, 2010, Orquestra Nacional do Porto, Christoph König, conductor
August 13, 14, 16, 18, 21, 2010, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons, conductor (UK Premiere)
April 30-May 1, 2011, Kansas City Symphony, Michael Stern, conductor (US Premiere)
July 25, 2012, Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, James Gaffigan, conductor

To submit a performance please join the TEK Percussion Database

Works for Percussion by this Composer

Frozen in Time - Multiple Percussion, Orchestra
Spices, Perfumes, Toxins! - Percussion Duo, Orchestra
Udacrep Akubrad (Chamber Version) - Percussion Duo, 2-6 additional Percussion
Udacrep Akubrad (Concerto Version) - Percussion Duo, Orchestra