(2000)
instrumentation: strings (minimum 6.5.4.3.1; larger preferred)
duration: 15:00
(In three movements: I. Apollo; II. Aphrodite; III. Ares)

Honorable Mention, New England String Ensemble National Composers Competition, 2000

Program note

This work was commissioned by the Conductors Institute, Harold Farberman, Artistic Director, for performance by its 30-plus conductors at Bard College in the summer of 2000. The commission request was for a work that had three contrasting movements or sections, which would call for different aspects of technique and approach from the conductors. In thinking about my interest in Greek mythology, I decided that creating three “mini-portraits” of Greek mythological figures would both fulfill this requirement and supply some general imagery on which to draw. Thus the word “Olympians” in the title is not be understood in the modern-day “athletic” sense of the word, but in the ancient Greek sense: an Olympian was a resident of Olympus, the home of the Greek gods. There were twelve Olympians, all “major deities.” The three which inspired the music in this case—Apollo, Aphrodite, and Ares—were all children of Zeus, but each had a different mother. Apollo is the most multi-faceted of these three, the god of reason and intelligence, music, prophecy, medicine, and the sun. Of course, the musical portrayals of Apollo have been endless, with Stravinsky and Britten providing noteworthy (and daunting) 20th-century examples. For me, Apollo meant “classical” harmony and phrasing, and a great deal of energy. Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty, which to me unambiguously called for lyrical melody. Ares was the god of war, which to me translated as relentless rhythm, as well as a chance to exploit some of the more menacing effects of which strings are capable. The unison Gs in this movement are a nod to Holst’s famous portrayal of Mars (the Roman incarnation of Ares). This work is unabashedly tonal, straightforward, and hopefully a good deal of fun.

Performance history

• Premiered by The Conductors Institute Orchestra, numerous conductors, at Bard College, July 10-14, 2000
• Performed by the Claremont Ensemble, Peter Boyer, conductor, April 7, 2000
• Performed by the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, Peter Boyer, conductor, at Royce Hall, UCLA, August 18, 2000
• Performed by the Janus Orchestra, Peter Boyer, conductor, April 26, 2001
• Performed by the Greenville (South Carolina) Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Edvard Tchivzhel, February 22 & 23, 2003
• Performed by the San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Donald Barra, conductor, January 19, 20 & 23, 2004
• Performed by the Santa Barbara Symphony, Gisèle Ben-Dor, conductor, January 24 & 25, 2004
• Performed by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor, March 3–6, 2004; June 3 & 6, 2004
• Performed by the Rapid City (South Dakota) Central High School Chamber Orchestra, Bruce Knowles, conductor, at the American String Teachers Association National Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico, February 29, 2008
• Performed by the Black Hills (South Dakota) Symphony Orchestra, Jack Knowles, conductor, April 12, 2008
• Performed by the North Atlanta High School Advanced Orchestra, Adrienne Thompson, conductor, October 23, 2008
• Performed by the South Carolina Music Educators Region IV All-State String Orchestra, Jesse Suggs, conductor, November 21, 2009
• Performed by 440hz, Strings Rotterdam, The Netherlands (ensemble without conductor), May 15, 2010
• Performed by the Cartago Community Orchestra, Costa Rica, Norman Gamboa, conductor, May 23, 2010
• Recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, Peter Boyer, conductor, at Abbey Road Studios, London, January 2 & 3, 2001; released on compact disc by Koch International Classics (#3-7523-2), June 2001; re-mastered and reissued on compact disc (and digital download) by Propulsive Music (PRM-607), June 2007
• Broadcast by Radio France (national broadcast), November 20, 2001
• London Symphony Orchestra recording broadcast on dozens of radio stations throughout United States since its release; also broadcast in Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands

“Three Olympians (as in Greek gods, not sports figures) just might be the most impressive work here, both for the sonorous inventiveness of its strings-only scoring, with “modernistic” and textural effects such as snap pizzicatos, harmonics, and glissandos perfectly integrated into Boyer's own tonal idiom, as well as for the distinction of its tunes, especially the lovely one in the central movement depicting Aphrodite.”

—David Hurwitz, Classics Today.com, 2001

“Boyer’s 2000 score Three Olympians for string orchestra casts three children of the Greek god Zeus in appropriate sonic garb—boldly cinematic for Apollo, lyrical and atmospheric for Aphrodite, and stridently martial for Ares (the god of war).”

—Tucson Citizen, July 2001