P. Kellach Waddle: Vegas Suite for solo double bass

About the Composition

This 3 movement suite was written for Jason Heath himself for the wonderful premiere a few years ago. 

I. The Ice in the Demoness' Veins was Type A, is a somewhat surreal set of material repeatedly veering from moody slower music to violent triplet-infused material that is supposed to represent a bitter man wandering around Las Vegas recalling an evil woman whose name starts with A. 

II. Reflections on a Blessed Sky After the Vampire's Swimming is in drastic contrast to the outer movements' turbulent material. This reverie-type music represents pleasant thoughts of looking up into a bright blue Nevada sky after a morning swim. 

III. Winning Lies From the Queen of Hearts returns to many running 16ths and Strauss-like rising figures that again represent the bitterness of the broken-romance type and are meant to invoke the composer's poem for this movement (printed in the score). 

About the Composer

P . Kellach Waddle enjoys a very active and lauded career as a composer, soloist, ensemble musician, and conductor. He has held both section and titled positions in over a dozen festival and professional orchestras including his current position as a member of The Austin Symphony which he won in 1992.

His opus numbers are currently approaching the 750 marks and his accolades include an Austin Critics' Table Award ( for his String Quartet #2 commissioned by The Miro Quartet), three nominations as a possible finalist for The Pulitzer Prize, four nominations as State of Texas Musician of The Year, and six as a semifinalist ( as well as one as a finalist) for The American Prize. Quotes about his music and output include: " .with all of these luxurious harmonies and melodies, ( Waddle) may be the American Rachmaninoff " and " ..the sheer volume of wonderfully effective music he composes..borders on the inhuman." 

Waddle continues to emulate such composers as Hindemith, now having written a major solo work, chamber music solo part, or concerto for every single standard orchestral instrument save for timpani. Along with this eclecticness Waddle continues to compose a great deal for instruments neglected or not “usually” thought of in these contexts, including his extensive and growing number of pieces for contrabassoon and his over 350 solo and chamber works for his own instrument, the bass.

Testimonials

As a soloist, citations include: ( after one of his many ISB convention performances ) ISB convention officials stated: " ( Waddle) is obviously now one of the most creatively thrilling solo bassists in the world!" His busy guest conducting schedule has taken him to venues such as Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall and he also served as director of The Austin Philharmonic for 2 1/2 seasons.

Connect with Kellach

YouTube | Soundcloud,