In Sunday’s (11/6) Morning Call (Allentown, Pennsylvania), Steve Siegel writes, “Great composers often recycle themes, finding new inspiration in reinterpreting them. Handel was notorious for it; both Dvorák and Bach recycled regularly. … When 14-year-old Rory Lipkis sat down to compose ‘Caprice,’ which opens the orchestra’s program, he pretty much had an idea in mind. ‘About four years ago the [Allentown Symphony Orchestra] performed a very short piece I wrote called ‘Clown Dance,’ about a minute long. Since then I had some themes go around in my head that I never really put on paper. When I got commissioned in early January to write a longer piece for their fall concert, I decided to quote some of the traits of ‘Clown Dance,’ plus use some of those other themes I had been thinking about,’ says Lipkis. Lipkis, a ninth grader at Liberty High School, in Bethlehem, is already a seasoned composer, having won several national PTA Reflections awards for his compositions, beginning in kindergarten. ‘Clown Dance’ was premiered by the ASO in 2008, and two of his choral works—‘I Heard a Bird Sing’ and ‘Spring’—were performed by the Bach Choir of Bethlehem at its family concert last year. ‘Caprice,’ which runs just shy of eight minutes, is Lipkis’ largest-scale work.”
Posted November 9, 2011
