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Christopher Gainey (b. 1981) did his undergraduate and Master’s level work at the Peabody Conservatory earning Master’s degrees in composition, guitar performance and music theory pedagogy. At Peabody he was awarded the Gustav Klemm prize in composition and his "Iago" for violin solo, which is now being published in the SCI Journal of Music Scores and has been selected for an SCI CD to be released in 2009, won first prize in the 2006 Virginia Carty DeLillo composition competition. He was awarded a commission from the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society to compose "Chupacabra" for two guitars, which was subsequently published by Vogt&Fritz in Sweinfurt, Germany. His "Nantucket Sleighride" for orchestra and four guitars has been recorded by the Kiev Philharmonic as part of ERM Media’s “Masterworks of the New Era” series. His ballet, "No Sleep for the Wicked," was recently staged by the University of Iowa Dance Department. He is currently a doctoral student in composition at the University of Iowa, studying with David Gompper, where he is the recipient of the 2007-2008 Henry and Parker Pelzer Prize in composition, and a 2008-2009 Seashore Dissertation Year Fellowship. |
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Compositions | |||
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Iago |
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| Iago.mp3 - complete | |||
| Iago.pdf - complete | |||
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"Iago," for violin solo, takes its inspiration from my favorite villain in all of Shakespeare. While reading Othello I found that I was more concerned with what was going on inside Iago’s mind than I was with the welfare of the other characters in the play. The instrumentation was chosen to reflect not only the intimate, internal turmoil of the character, but also Iago’s constant attempts to overstep the boundaries of his social position. This music is meant to sound as if the violin is fighting against the limitations of the instrument in a similar way. This piece does not follow a narrative as such, but instead is a glimpse into the whirlwind personality of a complex villain. | |||
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1st movement |
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| 1st movement.mp3 - complete | |||
| 1st movement.pdf - complete | |||
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"Three Movements from No Sleep for the Wicked:" "No Sleep for the Wicked" is a ballet in seven parts based upon my battles with insomnia. Specifically, it evokes the changes in one’s perception of time and state of mind as the seemingly endless night drags on. I have chosen a line of poetry that reflects the mood of the music as the title for each movement. These three movements serve as a suite that has been excerpted from the ballet to be performed in a concert setting separate from the dance. I. “…Now fades the glimmering landscape on the sight, And all the air a solemn stillness holds…” - Thomas Gray IV. “…The clocks are striking, calling to each other, And one can see right to the edge of time…” - Rainer Maria Rilke, trans. Bly VI. “In all its raucous impudence Life writhes, cavorts in pallid light…” - Charles Baudelaire, trans. Shapiro | |||
©2005 by Christopher Gainey
All Rights Reserved
Christopher Gainey is a member of Society of Composers, Inc. SCI is dedicated to the promotion of composition, performance, understanding and dissemination of new and contemporary music.