Music by Daniel Dorff


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MUSIC FOR PERCUSSION

Allegro Volante for Xylophone and Orchestra (or with Band or with Piano)
from Concerto for Solo Percussion and Orchestra (1992) 4½ min.
“An entertaining piece, exceptional well received by the audience.”— Penn Sounds (Sigal), Winter 1993.
Click here to read John Beck’s great reviews from Percussive Notes.
Xylophone part and piano reduction published by Theodore Presser Company (114-40750).
See audio clip below (Mvt. 3 of concerto)
Performances include Niel DaPonte, xylophone, on the Oregon Symphony's Chamber Music On Tap series, April 16, 1997.
Click here for program notes on this piece.

Concerto for Solo Percussion and Orchestra  c. 20 min.
Commissioned by the Polish Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society for the International Music Workshops in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Premiered March 18, 1995 by Haddonfield (NJ) Symphony, Dean Witten, solo percussion, Alan Gilbert, conductor.
“impressive... highlighted the concert... It exploits the full range of sonorities and technical possibilities of a whole arsenal of percussion instruments... most arresting... a joyous finale... bold and extroverted but also filled with sensitive details.”— Camden Courier-Post (Robert Baxter), March 22, 1995.
“it is only a truly inventive and inspired composer like Mr. Dorff who is able to go one step further [than just using many percussion instruments] and create unusual sounds, textures, and combinations that work for the listener.” — Maestro Alan Gilbert, Music Director of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic.

Here are some audio clips of Dean Witten's premiere with the Haddonfield Symphony conducted by Alan Gilbert.
from Mvt. 1 (21 sec.,
327K MP3)
from Mvt. 2 (31 sec., 479K MP3)
from Mvt. 3 (30 sec., 469K MP3) (used by permission)
Click here to read John Beck’s great reviews from Percussive Notes.
Complete solo part published by Theodore Presser Company. (114-40751).
Complete piano reduction published by Theodore Presser Company (114-40751A).
Click here for program notes on this piece.

Say Hey! Homage to William Mays, for Percussion Trio with Baseball Bats and Audience Participation (3½')
Commissioned by the Haddonfield Symphony for November 2002 in-school programs, southern NJ.

Three Dance Etudes for Marimba Duo or Ensemble (1984) 17-21 min.
Simultaneously premiered by Hitoshi Maeda and Brian Prechtl, Philadelphia, and by Nachiko Maekane, Sacramento, November 8, 1985.
Performances include the St. Louis Symphony's On Stage Series, February 8, 1988.
“highly appealing, vigorous... coloristic, lively dances exploited the instrument's best qualities.” — Philadelphia Inquirer, (Kimmelman), November 11, 1985.
“in the hands of mature performers, Three Dance Etudes would be suitable for most any recital or ensemble program.”
Percussive Notes (Holly), Fall 1987.
“in fact, I feel that they also make good solos.”— Modern Percussionist (James Preiss), September 1987.
Published by Theodore Presser Company (114-40432, $17.50).
Included on New York State's NYSSMA contest list.

Three Mysteries for Violin and Percussion (1993) 13 min.
Premiered February 2000 by Terry Vermillion and Marion Judish, St. Cloud, MN.
Published by Theodore Presser Company.
Here are some audio clips from the premiere:
from Mvt. 1 (25 sec.,
394K MP3)
from Mvt. 2 (24 sec., 367K MP3)
from Mvt. 3 (26 sec., 418K MP3) (used by permission)

last updated 9/21/02