''Ghost Ranch'' is a three-movement

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

l composition by the American composer

Michael Daugherty Michael Kevin Daugherty (born April 28, 1954) is an American composer, pianist, and teacher. He is influenced by popular culture, Romanticism, and Postmodernism. Daugherty's notable works include his Superman comic book-inspired ''Metropolis Sym ...

. Inspired by the life and work of artist

Georgia O'Keeffe Georgia Totto O'Keeffe (November 15, 1887 – March 6, 1986) was an American modernist artist. She was known for her paintings of enlarged flowers, New York skyscrapers, and New Mexico landscapes. O'Keeffe has been called the "Mother of Ame ...

, the title is derived from the name of O'Keeffe's

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

summer home,

Ghost Ranch Ghost Ranch is a retreat and education center located close to the village of Abiquiú in Rio Arriba County in north central New Mexico, United States. It was the home and studio of Georgia O'Keeffe, as well as the subject of many of her painti ...

. The piece was commissioned by BBC Radio 3, completed in 2005, and premiered February 8, 2006 in Poole,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, with the

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an English orchestra, founded in 1893 and originally based in Bournemouth. With a remit to serve the South and South West of England, the BSO is administratively based in the adjacent town of Poole, s ...

led by conductor

Marin Alsop Marin Alsop ( �mɛər.ɪn ˈæːl.sɑːp born October 16, 1956) is an American conductor, the first woman to win the Koussevitzky Prize for conducting and the first conductor to be awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. She is music director laureate ...

Composition

''Ghost Ranch'' is composed in three movements: I. "Bone," II. "Above Clouds," and III. "Black Rattle." The composition of the piece was designed to musically illustrate the visuals of O'Keeffe's paintings, such as the rattle of animal bones, barking coyotes, and the rigid, vast landscapes of the American West. A performance of the complete work lasts approximately 24 minutes, though the second movement "Above Clouds" is sometimes performed as a standalone piece.

Instrumentation

''Ghost Ranch'' is scored for two

flutes The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

(doubling piccolo), two

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

s, English horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four French horns, three trumpets, two trombones, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, three Percussion instrument, percussionists (I=chimes/glockenspiel/bass drum/Clapper (musical instrument)#Whip/slapstick, small slapstick/Clapper (musical instrument)#Whip/slapstick, large slapstick/small Woodblock (instrument), woodblock; II=vibraphone/African rattle/bongo drum, bongos/crash cymbals/tambourine/small Triangle (musical instrument), triangle/large woodblock; III=glockenspiel/xylophone/piccolo snare drum/suspended cymbal/medium triangle/metal wind chimes/medium woodblock/vibraslap), and String section, strings (violins I & II, violas, violoncellos, and double basses).

Reception

Alex Chilvers of ''Limelight (magazine), Limelight'' called the music "harmonically varied and eminently easy on the ear". Mark Estren of ''The Washington Post'' also praised the work, specifically regarding the second movement "Above Clouds" as possessing "an especially broad sonic canvas."

Discography

A recording of ''Ghost Ranch'', performed by the

under conductor

, was released January 4, 2011 through Naxos Records on a compilation album also featuring Daugherty's other orchestral works ''Route 66 (composition), Route 66'', ''Sunset Strip (composition), Sunset Strip'', and ''Time Machine (composition), Time Machine''.

References

{{Italic title Compositions by Michael Daugherty 2005 compositions Compositions for symphony orchestra 21st-century classical music Music commissioned by the BBC Georgia O'Keeffe

Composition

Instrumentation

Reception

Discography

See also

References