Dreams of the Fallen

Dreams of the Fallen is a choral symphony-concerto for solo piano, SATB chorus, and orchestra with music by the composer Jake Runestad set to texts of the poet Brian Turner, a veteran of the Iraq War. The work was first performed on Veterans Day, 11 November 2013, at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans. The participating ensembles included the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the Symphony Chorus of New Orleans, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, the Rockford Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, the Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey, and the Virginia Arts Festival.[1] Dreams of the Fallen earned its composer the Morton Gould Young Composer Award from the ASCAP Foundation in 2016.[2] It received its New York City premiere with the West Point Glee Club, the New Amsterdam Singers, the Young New Yorkers' Chorus, and the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony at Carnegie Hall on 19 November 2016, conducted by David Bernard.[3]

Composition

The collaboration among the original artists who created Dreams of the Fallen was led by the pianist Jeffrey Biegel.[4] Jake Runestad was approached by Biegel for the musical score, which is a setting of selected the texts by Brian Turner. Dreams of the Fallen is a compilation of poetry from Turner’s books Here, Bullet and Phantom Noise, which address a soldier’s emotional response to the experience of war. Much of the poetry relates to Turner’s own experiences during his period of service in the Iraq War. The goal of the work is to convey the sensation of war from the bottom up by exploring its impact on individual soldiers.[5]

Orchestration

The work is composed for SATB chorus, orchestra, and solo piano. Due to its monumental conception, a very specific instrumental disposition is called for, with the following: 2.2.2.2, 4.2.3.1, timpani +2, piano, harp, and strings. The unique inclusion of a prominent solo piano part was prepared in deference to the contributions of Jeffrey Biegel in commissioning the work and bringing the original performers together.[6]

Movements

The work consists of five movements:

I. Wading Out
II. Here, Bullet
III. Phantom Noise
IV. Sadiq
V. Wading Out

Additional performances

Besides the world première in New Orleans and the 2016 performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City, performances of Dreams of the Fallen have also been organized at the following venues:[7]

Broadcast

An audio recording of the 2015 performance of Dreams of the Fallen in St. Paul, Minnesota, was broadcast nationwide on 29 May 2017 (Memorial Day) through the National Public Radio network.[9]

References
  1. Information about the genesis and first performance of ‘’Dreams of the Fallen’’ is collected at http://dreamsofthefallen.com/about/:
  2. See www.ascap.com.
  3. Danish, Peter. "BWW Previews: New York Premiere of Jake Runestad's DREAMS OF THE FALLEN at Carnegie Hall". Broadway World. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  4. See , Peter Danish, Broadway World. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  5. See James Dao, "At War: Notes from the Frontlines," The New York Times, 7 June 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2017; . Sean Martinfield, "Composer Jake Runestad’s Dreams of the Fallen — A Veterans Day Happening at the National WWII Museum," The Huffington Post, 8 November 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  6. For information on the orchestration and structure of Dreams of the Fallen, see Ian VanderMeulen, "Soundscapes: The Classical Music World is Just Beginning to Grapple with the Impact of Devastating Conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq", Symphony, Winter 2014, 62-65. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  7. See http://dreamsofthefallen.com/calendar for a list of performances to date.
  8. See Chicago Composers Orchestra website. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  9. See VocalEssence website
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