"Dance..."
grew from a hesitant opening F-sharp in solo trumpet through a lovely, arching
lament of Copland-esque candor, that quickly gave way to a boiling cauldron
of uncontainable fun, pumping with life. The musicians essayed its funky syncopations
eagerly, digging into the juxtapostion of Brecker Brothers-style brass writing
and Stravinskian boiling woodwinds with a will. Their "beatboxing," vocally
mimicking the sounds of drums, was a very successful, thrilling aspect of
the texture.
-- Springfield (MA) Union-News
"The
composer introduced the subject with a stately trumpet and strings, but then
quickly turned, as he put it [in the program notes], "to a joyful journey
through my own experience of Dr. King's legacy." The piece is personal but
still highly accessible to everyone with its highly energetic, flowing rhythms
that blended styles such as bluegrass, salsa, ballet, and chant (that sounded
like classical scat singing) in one seamless piece. Vibrant brasses and pulsating
percussion infused electric exuberance into this uplifting, even reflective,
tribute. ...the [orchestra] was fully charged."
--Connecticut Post
"Certainly
the most challenging piece for the orchestra was Abels' Dance for Martin's
Dream that begins in a brief reflective mood and then leaps into driving rhythms
that even, a time or two, has the musicians chanting as part of the instrumentation.
It's an impressive work illustrating that not all modern-cay composers have
to pay homage to dissonance. As a young composer, Abels would seem to have
a bright future. The work is dramatic and close to relentless in its good
spirit and drive. It furiously builds to an abrupt conclusion."
-- Shreveport
Times
Commissioned by: The Houston Symphony & The Nashville Symphony
Premiere: Partial version premiered June 1997 by the Houston Symphony, Houston, TX under the direction of Stephen Stein, Resident Conductor. Complete version premiered January 1998 by the Nashville Symphony, Nashville, TN under the direction of Karen Deal, Resident Conductor.
As long as there are people around who marched with him or even heard his historic speeches live, far be it from me to interpret the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to the rest of the world. My commemoration reflects the experience of someone born in 1962, who must forever understand Dr. King only through film and audiotape.
What I see in my own life is the unbelievable positive difference his courage and the courage of those who marched with him has made. When we reflect on the societal change, it is powerful, inspiring. This is not way we are used to thinking about race relations in our culture. We are used to chasing racism out from the closets it cowers in, shining the light on it, and forcing it to be confronted by truth. We sometimes forget to celebrate the fact that the racism used to be in the living room, sitting on the couch like there was no reason for it to hide. Dance For Martin's Dream is a celebration of the progress that was made back in the day by the civil rights movement on behalf of all of us who came later.
The piece begins in somber remembrance, but bursts into danceable, cross-cultural melodies and never looks back. Instead of drawing on the expected gospel music and spirituals, I began melodies that sounded like bluegrass (stereotypically "white" music) and then had fun corrupting them. And instead of powerful words that echo Dr. King's legacy, the score calls for loud chanting by the orchestra of some nonsense syllables that was inspired by the hip-hop technique of beat-boxing. However in this context the voices are used to evoke the sound of a crowd chanting slogans as they might during a large rally, as during the civil rights movement. The ability to inspire thousands to act for the greater good is the highest mark of a great leader, and I had to have some way to recreate that image to express excitement on such a spiritual level.
Written: 1997
Instrumentation:
2,1
2(1) 2(eb) 2; 4331; timp, 2 perc, hp; stgs
Performance Highlights:
Cleveland, Atlanta, Houston, Nashville, San Jose
Audio Samples: Clip
one, Clip
two 
Publisher: Subito Music Corporation
