Collin Kemeny

Third Stream Variations (2016)

*Premiered by the North Coast Winds

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woodwind quintet​

duration: 10 minutes 30 seconds

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about:

Third Stream, a term coined by Gunther Schuller, refers to the fusion of jazz and classical styles in music. Third Stream Variations takes a traditionally constructed melody and weaves it through a variety of styles, some blue and some not. Through all these changes, a brazen rhythmic constant, defying meter and style, unites the work from start to finish. Though the jazz elements rarely influence more than harmony, this piece marks a moment when the composer began incorporating his love for swing into deeper levels of his writing. 

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The following excerpt is recorded by players from Case Western Reserve University.