Oliver Stone joins rebel hostage rescue team

Director Oliver Stone is in Colombia as part of a mission to retrieve hostages held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

“The FARC really needs a lot of help,” he said in an interview with AP. “Their wardrobe and make-up is ghastly, totally unbelievable for an organization like this.” When asked if the writers’ strike had any play in his intervention Mr. Stone replied, “Absolutely. They need better writers. There are no jokes in their delivery, no physical comedy and nowhere in their run has a pie ever been thrown.”

A representative for Mr. Stone who wishes to remain anonymous confirmed that Jerry Seinfeld and David Letterman were in negotiations to be on the writing team. “They need to keep their plots within 30 minutes including commercials so we can get some TV time on the networks for their cause and reach a wider audience.”

Unconfirmed reports from reliable sources say Dustin Diamond, “Skreech” from Saved By The Bell, is currently doing screen tests to play the rebel leader. “He brings a cozy warm hearted front to the FARC that they desperately need”, the source said.

Music producer Conrad Askland has already started scoring for the project. “We’re doing the whole soundtrack on a $200 Casio keyboard using the auto-chord feature”, he said. “We want this project to be realistic, lo-fi and in your face. To add the to realism, all the music will be recorded in black and white”, he said from his recording studio while sitting suggestively next to a lava lamp.

“They have 30 seconds to give me a plot pitch,” said Stone while sitting with Askland drinking hot cocoa using only the miniature marshmallows with lava lamp nearby. “And it better be good.”

Gloria Challenge Part V – The Performance

If you’ve been following along with the “Gloria Challenge” then this page has everything you might be interested in. Full instrument and conductor scores, rehearsal MP3’s, final performance MP3 and links to posts made during the process.

The “Gloria Challenge” was to follow the footsteps of JS Bach to compose and perform a full scale sacred work for SATB Chorus and Chamber Orchestra at a church service, and to do it all within one week. The piece I composed was the “Christmas Gloria” and it was performed at the Christmas Eve service at Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church in Mount Vernon, WA.

Here’s an Mp3 of the Christmas Eve presentation:

http://conradaskland.com/downloads/Christmas-Gloria/Christmas-Gloria.mp3

I had setup several high end microphones to get a quality recording, but my tapes would not format for the recording. So as a last resort I set a CD recorder on top of the church organ and recorded off it’s internal mics. I’m disappointed we didn’t get a better recording, but it will give you an idea of the piece.

The “Gloria Challenge” came about as I was Googling “JS Bach” a couple weeks ago and read again how he composed so much music for the entire church year, often preparing a full scale piece in a single week. That has always fascinated me, so I thought I’d take a swing at it and see what I could do. It was a great devotional time for me, and a bit tense to get it all together.

Thank you SO MUCH to all the vocalists and musicians who took the challenge and stepped up to the plate.

The process was gruelling to do this in a week. I was pretty sick the evening of our performance and collapsed Christmas Day. If I did this on a regular basis I think it would go much smoother. But I was pleased with the finished product. From talking to chorus members most of them were pleased as well considering the time restraints. The choir got one three hour rehearsal – then a run-through before the performance.

Of course it’s all just a scholastic game if the piece doesn’t inspire the listener and fit appropriately into the service. From feedback I’ve received people were very moved by the piece. There was a thirty second standing ovation at the end of the piece. That’s a little rare for church services, especially a Christmas Eve service. I take it that people were very moved by the text and music.

For me, the piece brought alive the mystery and nobility of Christmas. It also brought some depth to the season for me as I was huddled in seclusion working on the piece instead of watching Christmas specials on tv.

The dedication for the Christmas Gloria is to Ruth Haines and the Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church choir. I really enjoyed the couple years I spent with all of you as music director at MVPres. And thanks to Ruth Haines who always kept me organized even when I didn’t know it.

So yes, I’d say we did it.

Christmas Gloria Musicians:
Trumpet – Cindy Luna
French Horn – Amanda McDaniel
Tuba – Bruce Hanna
Oboe – Rebecca Wright
Flute – Linda Slone
Clarinet – Michelle Hanna
Harpsichord – Ruth Haines
Double Bass – Marilyn Parman
Timpani – Todd Parks

Christmas Gloria Instrument Scores

MP3 Gloria practice tracks for musicians and vocalists:

Christmas Gloria Final Scores Ready

Final scores are now available for the Christmas Gloria for performance Christmas Eve. Players and singers will receive new scores on Christmas Eve. Would advise that instrumentalists and soloists transfer former rehearsal notes into these new scores. You can print them ahead of time if that’s easier for you.

CLICK HERE FOR PAGE WITH FINAL SCORES

Very few note changes. Most changes were adding phrasing marks.

Here’s an overview of changes:

  • Articulations and phrasing marks added
  • Baroque ornamentations added to Flute and Oboe (trills and mordents)
  • SATB Chorus rephrasing of “Glorificamus Te” section.
  • Note values changed in final section – stronger delineation between orchestra and chorus
  • Trio section – phrasing marks added – added lyrics “bonae voluntatis” to end
  • Tuba part re-scored to anchor on lowest A range.
  • Oboe/Flute parts swapped in first section
  • Timpani part combined to include Timpani, Concert Bass Drum, Triangle and Sleigh Bells

Gloria Challenge Part IV – Press Release

Press release by Vicky McCarty:

Imagine what it must have been like to be there the night Silent Night was heard the first time. Or any of the lasting works of composers who excitedly sat and composed to have special music ready for Christmas. Hearing a major work for the first time – being present at the debut is something that not everyone has an opportunity to experience. But those attending the candlelight service at Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church on Christmas Eve will have such an experience.

Conrad Askland has been working in the mode of the old masters, and an assemblage of musicians and singers will perform for the first time his work, Gloria in D. This is an undertaking similar to that of years past. It will be a meaningful Christmas experience, and a wonderful Christmas gift to the community.

Askland has been music director at MVPC for the last year and has directed the music for several theatrical productions in Skagit county. The Christmas eve performance will be his last before he leaves to be Assistant Bandleader and Keyboardist for Cirque du Soleil in Macau, China.

Gloria In Excelsis Deo – Latin and English

Latin text

Gloria in excélsis Deo
Et in terra pax homínibus bonae voluntátis.
Laudámus te.
Benedícimus te.
Adorámus te.
Glorificámus te.
Grátias ágimus tibi propter magnam glóriam tuam,
Dómine Deus, Rex cæléstis, Deus Pater omnípotens.
Dómine Fili unigénite, Jesu Christe.
Dómine Deus, Agnus Dei, Fílius Patris.
Qui tollis peccáta mundi, miserére nobis.
Qui tollis peccáta mundi, súscipe deprecatiónem nostram.
Qui sedes ad déxteram Patris, miserére nobis.
Quóniam tu solus Sanctus.
Tu solus Dóminus,
Tu solus Altíssimus, Jesu Christe,
Cum Sancto Spíritu in glória Dei Patris. Amen.

Literal English Translation

Glory in the heights to God
And on earth peace to men of good will.
We praise You.
We bless You.
We adore You.
We glorify You.
We give You thanks for Your great Glory.
Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father almighty.
Lord the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father.
You who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
You who take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer.
You who sit at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.
For You alone [are] the Holy One.
You alone [are] the Lord.
You alone [are the] Most High, Jesus Christ.
With the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Gloria Challenge – Part III

*Updated 12/23/07 – These scores are now final versions. Please transfer rehearsal markings to these new scores. We will have copies of new scores for you on Christmas Eve. 5pm call time for rehearsal with chorus and chamber orchestra.*

Musicians – your scores are available in .pdf format here:

Christmas Gloria Instrument Scores

MP3 Gloria practice tracks for musicians and vocalists:

Premiere performance will be at the 7pm Christmas Eve service at Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church – 15th and Broadway in Mount Vernon, WA.

Shawshank Redemption style prison break

ELIZABETH, New Jersey – Two inmates escaped from a county jail, hiding the holes they made in the walls by putting up photos of bikini-clad women, officials said.

The men helped cover up the break by placing dummies under their bed blankets, and hiding the wall holes with magazine photos of women in bikinis, authorities said.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/12/17/jail.escape.ap/index.html

Hey, haven’t prison officials ever watched the Shawshank Redemption movie? That’s exactly how he escaped in the movie. Digging a hole behind a pinup picture. Great example of life imitates art.

*Update 12/18/07*

The way the inmates used pinups to hide their escape route was reminiscent of a scene in the 1994 movie “The Shawshank Redemption.”

Ted Romankow (Union County, New Jersey’s prosecutor) played down the comparison.

“I think this is a very serious situation you saw,” he said. “I really prefer not to compare with any movie, although I can understand why you might, because it does look certainly very similar to some of them. Except in ‘The Shawshank Redemption,’ they had a better poster on the wall.”

Gloria Challenge – Part II

Ah…the Gloria Challenge Part II. I thought I’d write a little background on why I think it’s so cool, and some of the earthly details on creating inspiration.

The “Gloria Challenge” is to write a complete Gloria for chorus, chamber orchestra and organ in one week. And then perform it Christmas Eve.

Original post of the Gloria Challenge click here

I’m a JS Bach nut. Most people that know me get that well enough. If I could listen to just JS Bach the rest of my life I’d be a happy man. I was raised Lutheran, so there’s that whole part of it too. JS Bach was Lutheran, and the king of counterpoint, and the king of Baroque music. He had several sons who were also composers – they called him the “old Bach” and thought his music to be old fashioned. Bach had lots of personality problems with his church employers – and from most accounts they didn’t really realize what they had. Part of Bach’s duties was to rehearse the choirs and write weekly Cantatas for the services. I think he has three existing yearly cycles – that’s three years of different chorales and cantatas for each week of the church calendar.

One of Bach’s sons was given all of the old JS Bach manuscripts when his father died. The son ran into money problems himself at the end of his life and sold many of them. I think I even heard a story that some of Bach’s songs were used to wrap cheese. His music was largely forgotten until Mendellsohn revived and re-discovered JS Bach’s music. Ever since then Bach’s music has been revered as some of the best in Western civilization. Bach lived 1685-1750, his death closed the era of what we call the Baroque Period. Mendellsohn revived the music around 1820. That’s all off the top of my head, feel free to correct me on dates.

Bach was very devout to his faith. On all his manuscripts he would write “S.D.G.” for “Soli Deo Gloria” – or “Only for the Glory to God”. It was a reminder of what his music work was all about. He even had manuscript paper created for him that had the S.D.G. watermark.

So that’s some background. The part that has always fascinated me is how he often wrote a full work in just a week and then had it performed at the church service. I always wanted to do that….I’m sure I’m not the first musician to have a little Bach fantasy like that.

While I’m waiting for my next Cirque Du Soleil gig to start I’ve finished all my theater shows and concerts. The only thing left is to finish my post as music director of a church through Christmas Eve. I get stir crazy pretty quick – so last week late at night I emailed a couple musicians to see if they’d like to play for Christmas Eve. I got a couple responses that people were busy – which was great, because the next morning I realized how much extra work that would be. But one musician emailed back Tuesday night and said they had cancelled their gig with the Philharmonic to play for the service.

Yikes! Now I was stuck – I had messed with a musician’s income. I decided Tuesday night to go ahead and try to write a Gloria in week. I set my scoring computer up and started Wednesday at 3pm. My deadline is the following Wednesday at 6pm – to have the piece complete for chorus, organ and chamber orchestra. As crazy as the challenge is – several musicians from my pit orchestras have volunteered to play the piece and we have emails flying all over the place to beef up our chorus.

I worked on the piece all day Thurs-Fri-Sat – Right now the score is 14 minutes long at about 50 pages. I’m going to have to cut it down quite a bit but I’m very pleased with the progress. It’s in neo-classical style. Since the piece is also a tribute to the work of Bach – it begins with the chorus singing “Soli Deo Gloria”.

Here is the original GLORIA latin text:

Gloria in excelsis Deo,
et in terra pax hominibus
bonae voluntatis.

Laudamus te.
Benedicimus te.
Adoramus te.
Glorificamus te.

Gratias agimus tibi
propter magnam gloriam tuam.

Domine Deus, Rex coelestis,
Deus Pater omnipotens.
Domine Fili unigenite
Jesu Christe.
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei,
Filius Patris.

I have used this portion of the text in this order, with addition of SDG:

Soli Deo Gloria – Only for the Glory of God

Domine Deus, Rex coelestis, – Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father almighty
Deus Pater omnipotens. – Lord the only
Domine Fili unigenite – begotten Son
Jesu Christe. – Jesus Christ
Domine Deus, – Lord God
Agnus Dei, – Lamb of God
Filius Patris. – Son of the Father

Gloria in excelsis Deo, – Glory in the heights to God
et in terra pax hominibus – And on earth peace to men
bonae voluntatis. – of good will.

The whole first paragraph takes up only about 45 seconds, where Gloria in excelsis Deo is the bulk of the piece, with a duet around “et in terra pax hominibus” and chorus responds with “bonae voluntatis”.

The beginning paragraph is set for a dark Medieval sound, which to me signifies part of the mystery of Christmas. The waiting and apprehension of not quite knowing what is coming. Sure, we know now – we’ve got the book. But what did it feel like back then for people that knew it was coming, but weren’t at the pretty manger scene. Was it a little scary and unsure?

After the intro the Gloria breaks into a traditional neo-Baroque sound that is a mix of Handel and Bach. Brass fourths and french horn hunting calls with timpani and woodwinds in Baroque motor rhythms. The “et in terra pax” is a duet with a slightly modern sound, but still something Bach could have done. This is a respite from the banging of the timpani and honking of the brass. Then the chorus resumes with the main uptempo theme, does a circle of fifths walkdown and build up into a pipe organ cadenza, then finishes with royal fanfare.

Now the sleigh bells…..yes, I put a section in for sleigh bells. I realize it has nothing to do with the biblical Christmas story, and that Santa Claus nor his reindeer appear in either Matthew, Mark, Luke OR John. But it makes me laugh everytime I think about it, and the Gloria is ALL about joy. So they stay in.

So there it is. Scores will be available in a few days and I’ll post scores and recording after Christmas so you can check it out.

My mother asked me how the piece was coming along and I said sadly, “It doesn’t sound as good as Bach” to which she replied: “Hmpfff….that’s only YOUR opinion.”

Bach wouldn’t be impressed. No one can be Bach. But I think he’d be flattered that 300 years later we’re still in awe of his passion and music.

The congregation will decide Christmas Eve if we hit the mark or not……..