Tomorrow I’m narrating two performances of The Composer is Dead at Bass Hall with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra for students from Fort Worth ISD.
I gotta say I’m pretty excited.
The show is similar to Peter and the Wolf in that it is an educational piece about the different sections of the orchestra, but it’s presented as a murder-mystery/comedy.
The composer is found dead and an inspector is called in to question all of the instruments in the orchestra, and to get to the bottom of the crime.
An excerpt:
“Well, I guess that takes care of the strings.” The Inspector said, “Oh – The violas, I forgot all about you!”
“Everyone forgets about us,” said the violas bitterly. “We play the notes in the chords that nobody cares about. We play crucial counter-melodies nobody hears. We often have to stay late after performances and stack up all of the chairs.”
Last night I did an interview with Thomas Hong, the conductor, for This Week in the Arts – that’ll go up on the website next Wednesday.
I only wish it was possible for more people I know to come see the performance (like I said, it’s for the Fort Worth ISD), but I am going to be able to squeeze in Dana and my sister, Heather.
If you find a production of this open to the public you should try to find a way to see it – it’s short, and a lot of fun.
