20 min.

4 March 1999
Ethical Culture Society, New York City
Wendy Hill, soprano / Eos Ensemble / Jonathan Sheffer, conductor

1(=picc).0.1(=bcl).0-1.1.0.0-perc(2): xyl/y.bells/bar chimes/glass wind chimes/guiro/2 bongos (high,low)/cyms/2 wdbl (high,low)/2 timp/SD/TD/low conga dr/hi-hat/5 tpt.bl/ratchet/tamb/high siren/large anvil/large wind machine-pft(=cel)-theremin-strings(1.1.1.1.1 or small orchestra)

"My Neighbor, the Distinguished Count" from Autobiographies by Alfred Corn

to Ming Chew

commissioned by the Eos Orchestra, Jonathan Sheffer, conductor, and the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Edwin London , director

Dracula is a 20-minute setting of Alfred Corn's poem, "My Neighbor, the Distinguished Count" It is written for a soprano-narrator and thirteen players: flute (doubling on piccolo), clarinet (doubling on bass-clarinet), trumpet, horn, percussion (two players), theremin, piano (doubling on celesta) and a quintet of strings.

The text retells the famous gothic tale from the point of view of a woman living next-door to "the distinguished count" In five scenes, the poem chronicles her initial disinterest, gradual seduction, then degradation, rejection and, finally, "vampiristic" transformation.

The piece makes enormous demands upon the soprano soloist, who must speak even more than she sings and, when singing, must negotiate over three octaves — from the D below middle-C (when conjuring up the voice of the count) to the E-flat above high-C (when depicting the woman in extremis).

The instrumental ensemble is perhaps most notable for the inclusion of the theremin — the exotic, other-worldly-sounding electronic instrument that evoked "horror" and "mystery" in early Hollywood films. Most of the poem is written in the past tense " the woman is telling us what happened. When the narrative reaches the present and Dracula himself comes to her "for the last time," the theremin " with its whooshes and wails " announces itself, personifying the (excitingly) depraved count.

Singing, in Dracula, is reserved for special occasions, such as when the count himself speaks or when the woman is most overwrought. As well, at key moments throughout the setting, I repeat, like an incantation, certain texts of the menacing count ("I come to you, dearest, because you think / Of me. An irresistible summons") and of the ecstatic woman (How often I long to stay profoundly asleep / And never be conscious again.").

Midway through the musical discourse, there is a fugue (the count's "troop of haggard followers ... congregate") and a final aria of transformation wherein the soprano's high-flying voice and the wail of the theremin merge as one....

The piece touches many emotional levels. With the use of the theremin, copious amounts of wind-machine and roiling bass drum, "scary" is a primary reaction —; as is "funny." Nervous giggles and startled gasps would not be unwelcome here. Deeper down, the listener confronts the more ominous world of addiction, betrayal and obsession. And inevitably, there comes the ultimate degradation " a faustian bargain with a devilish price: devolution into the living dead.

"Those who have performed the music of David Del Tredici know that it holds great appeal with audiences and musicians alike and recognize him as one of the most memorable voices of the twentieth century. A Pulitzer Prize winning composer, Del Tredici has received high praise for his large-scale serious musical works including Child Alice, An Alice Symphony and Final Alice. "Del Tredici is now entering a new phase in his compositions, moving away from his fascination with Alice in Wonderland. Though this new sonic landscape is still wild and creative, the texts he now uses for his vocal music are drawn from various sources. Dracula, a work for soprano and ensemble, was commissioned and premiered by the Eos Orchestra, with Jonathan Sheffer as conductor and Wendy Hill as soprano in March of 1999. Subsequent performances include the Aspen Music Festival, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, with the Canadian premiere forthcoming in early 2000 at the Winnipeg New Music Festival. "The text arises out of My Neighbor, the Distinguished Count, a poem by Alfred Corn. The story depicts the vampire Count Dracula as an unassuming entity, borrowing blood from his neighbor, the narrator, as one would borrow a cup or two of sugar. An insidious tale of suburban seduction unfolds. "