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'March of the Gypsy Fiddler' Performed by The Ahn Trio
(Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello, Piano, and Orchestra) Movement III (2009)

Composed by Mark O'Connor

Angela Ahn, violin; Maria Ahn, cello and Lucia Ahn, piano.

ProMusica Orchestra; Timothy Russell, Director

May 8, 2009, Southern Theatre in Columbus, Ohio

Film directed by Fiona Zwieb

Executive Producer: Janet Chen
Producer: Timothy Russell
Recording Engineer/Digital Editing: Clarke Rigsby
Mastering: David Shirk
℗© Summit Records -- Tempe, Arizona USA DCD 576

Mark O'Connor Sheet Music is available at http://www.markoconnor.com

ProMusica wishes to acknowledge the generosity of Martin and Marilyn Campbell, the Herbers Family, and Tom and Lee Szykowny for making this recording possible.

Program Notes

Three themes (one for each movement) are featured in my triple concerto, "March of the Gypsy Fiddler." The themes predate the symphonic composition, and have been in my own repertoire for several years. I chose this combination of themes for several reasons. A series of unlikely circumstances presented themselves as I thought about the concerto and developed this material.

The finale movement is also an often requested theme of mine with my audiences, often performing it in my Hot Swing group. I call it "Gypsy Fantastic." For the last several years, I have been authoring a violin method for beginning students. I wanted to include Gypsy Fantastic in it, or at least a simple version of it for students to learn, it is such a fun tune to play. When I realized I could not simplify the tune successfully to any great degree, I decided to compose an addition section to it, a simpler half-time part. This new additional music was the catalyst that brought the whole concerto together and connected all the material.

The first movement uses yet another well-liked tune of mine that preexists the concerto, a theme called "March of the Pharaohs." I discovered that the bass line in the tune was also a perfect fit for the new part of Gypsy Fantastic and therefore provided a cyclical nature to the construction and form.

The slow theme of the middle movement is one of my most popular tunes. It is called "Fiddler Going Home." I composed this ballad in tribute to a wonderful man who had recently passed away. He was a legendary jazz violinist who taught at my string camps until he died at age 95 years old. His name, Claude "Fiddler" Williams. "Going Home" provides an for an ideal centerpiece.

The Ahn Trio was the premiering trio for the triple concerto and it was fantastic to compose the piece knowing that they will perform it. In creating a title, I decided to use different parts of each preexisting title, as both an ode to the past history of these themes, while giving this music a new treatment and form. Three of my best themes, three musicians of a piano trio, all featured in the unusual triple concerto setting with orchestra.

-Mark O'Connor, 2010.

For more information on Mark O'Connor, String Camps, The O'Connor Method, ensembles, repertoire, sheet music and more, please visit http://www.markoconnor.com

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