Premiere Information: TubaCor (Lin Foulk, horn; Deanna Swoboda, tuba; with Alex Thio, piano) IWBC 2010, Toronto, Canada

From the composer, Elizabeth Raum:

When I started working on a new work for horn, tuba, and piano, I had no thoughts as to what I would call it or what direction it would take. However, as often happens in composition, the piece took on a life of its own with three movements of contrasting moods. I thought that might be a good name, "Moods,"but I woke up one morning with the word "Colors," on my mind, and that soon morphed into "Color Code." There has been evidence that colors affect one's mood so this seemed a perfect alternative. Also, each movement has a pair of colors to represent the horn and the tuba.

Now I had to figure out what colors would best represent each movement. The first is dissonant and militaristic with the driving accented rhythm and sudden dynamic changes. The horn and the tuba repeat each other's phrases, almost as in a competition. The quiet middle section has an ominous undercurrent, a lull in the battle. So when I thought about the colors of this movement, it occurred to me that the horn is generally a gold colored instrument and the tuba, silver. (Although it can be either silver or gold, for this purpose I decided it would be sliver.) Thus the name, A Clash of Gold and Silver.

The second movement begins full of tragedy and melancholy calling to mind the dark and forbidding colors of violet and gray. The movement shifts between one shade of despair to another, as in Shifting and Shimmering Shades of Violet and Gray. The opening choral-like section is suddenly interrupted by the repressed anger of the hand muted horn. The tuba and piano join, expressing growing angst until the first theme intercedes with an attempt to calm the anxiety, but it is thwarted again and again until finally a resignation is apparent although it's left to the last movement to brighten the spirits.

What better colors to signify having fun than Champagne and Chocolate! This movement's sprightly and humorous themes, rather tongue in cheek, bring Color Code to a fitting and happy conclusion.

About the composer (from her website):

elizabethraum.com/artist.html

Elizabeth Raum is both principal oboist with the Regina Symphony Orchestra and a composer. She earned her Bachelor of Music in oboe performance from the Eastman School of Music, her Master of Music in composition from the University of Regina, and in May of 2004, she was awarded an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from Mt. St. Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is also an associate member of the Canadian Music Centre.

Her works have been heard throughout North America, Europe, South America, China, Japan, and Russia, and have been broadcast extensively on the CBC. She has also written for film and video and has won awards for the scores to the documentaries, Saskatchewan River; Like Mother, Like Daughter; and the feature length film, Sparkle. She produced Canada’s first classical video with originally written music entitled, Evolution: A Theme With Variations, which was premiered at a gala event at the CBC in 1986. Other film collaborations include Prelude to Parting, The Green Man Ballet, and Symphony of Youth, all broadcast on national television.

An extremely prolific composer, her works include 3 operas, over 60 chamber pieces, 17 vocal works, choral works including an oratorio, several ballets, concerti and major orchestral works. She enjoys a reputation of being one of Canada’s most ”accessible“ composers, writing for varied mediums and in remarkably diverse styles.

She has written for some of the world finest artists including the St. Lawrence String Quartet, Canadian soprano, Tracy Dahl, trombone virtuoso, Christian Lindberg, tuba icon, Roger Bobo, New York Philharmonic principal horn, Philip Myers, the percussion ensemble, Nexus, and her daughter, Erika Raum. She recently completed major commissions by the Winnipeg Ballet and Symphony Nova Scotia.

Raum has a number of commercial CD releases including the Regina Symphony Orchestra recording of her Prairie Alphabet Musical Parade, inspired by the popular children’s book, A Prairie Alphabet; The Legend of Heimdall, recorded by the Orchestra of the Capella of St. Petersburg, Russia, with John Griffiths, soloist,; Renovated Rhymes commissioned and recorded by Trio Ariana for their CD, Incantations and Rhymes; Sonata for Piano Four Hands, commissioned and recorded by the Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival and performed by Kevin Fitz-Gerald and Bernadine Blaha; Requiem for Wounded Knee recorded by tuba duo, Don Harry and John Griffiths; Pantheon for violin, horn, and piano recorded at The Banff Centre by Erika Raum, David Hoyt, and Janet Scott-Hoyt; and her most recent CD, how bodies leave ecstatic marks, won the award for Best Classical Composition for a the 2008 Western Music Award.

Ms. Raum is included in the New Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians, the New Grove’s Dictionary of Opera, and the New Grove’s Dictionary of Women Composers as well as numerous other publications.