User:NoMinorChords/sandbox

=Concerto for Pedal Steel Guitar and Orchestra=

Michael A. Levine's Concerto for Pedal Steel Guitar and Orchestra  was premiered on April 16, 2005 by the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, with Gary Morse (of Dierks Bentley's and Dwight Yoakam's bands) as soloist and Paul Gambill conducting. The piece is believed to be the first concerto ever written for the solo steel guitar.

Morse said of the piece: Last night I had the honor and privilege of performing the "Concerto for Pedal Steel Guitar"... by Los Angeles composer Michael Levine. Michael has never played steel before but has always been fascinated by it. It involved months of preparation in terms of fine tuning and tweaking the three movements. It also involved being able to read standard orchestra nomenclature as opposed to tablature.

...In regards to the concerto, it would have been near impossible to memorize everything and still not lose my place with the orchestra. Their were many unison and ensemble parts that had to be played exactly as written. The third movement alone was nearly seven and a half minutes long! The only parts I committed to memory were the intense 16th note passages in the third movement (which even gave the woodwind section a workout!) I was also reminded of how great an appeal the steel can have for people who have never been exposed to it. Especially if they never listen to country music. If I had a dollar for everytime someone told me last night that they were absolutely thrilled by this "new instrument" I could retire on my own island today! When I informed them of the fact that my Sho-Bud is almost 35 years old they seemed surprised. Many had never even heard of the steel before last night.

=Movements =
 * Movement 1 (7:29)
 * Movement 2 (4:21)
 * Movement 3 (5:41)

=Sources=