About the Piece
Dòchas means HOPE in Scottish Gaelic, pronounced with the ch sounding like the ch in Scottish loch and ò an extended oh.
Dòchas is one in a series of fanfares Commissioned by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada with financial assistance from the Government of Canada.
I chose the title based in part on my ancestral roots (Scottish, Irish, English, German, French, Scandinavian, Asian, South American) and for its meaning.
Given the current unrest and turmoil globally with a large percentage of the world’s population facing hopelessness and despair, I felt it was important to express HOPE through music; to move forward, to exist, to believe, we must have HOPE!
In the Harmonic progression incorporated over the last six measures of the fanfare, I literally expressed the following:
Believe, Beloved, Be Loved / Everyone, Equality / Faith, Forgiveness / Compassion, Charity / HOPE / Eternity
[Program note by the composer]
Instrumentation:
2 Flutes 2 Oboes 2 Clarinets in A
2 Bassoons
4 Horns in F 2 Trumpets in Bb 3 Trombones (2 Tenor 1 Bass)
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion: Orchestra Bells, Tubular Bells, Bass Drum, Suspended cymbal
Violin I
Violin II
Viola
Cello
Contrabass
About the Composer
Laura Pettigrew’s contributions in Canada are well known but her influence and achievement have now expanded to all over the world. Her works have received world premières by Toronto Symphony Orchestra, (Canada) GRAMMY® Award–winning I Solisti Veneti (Italy), Regina Symphony Orchestra (Canada), Massive Brass Attack (Portugal), Nicole Gi Li and Corey Hamm (Piano Erhu Project or PEP), and Foothills Brass (Canada), Borealis Brass (USA) among others, and featured on recordings by national and international soloists and ensembles as well as in the international award-winning short film, The Sky Came Down, Laura Pettigrew is making her mark on the world stage. Her works include: orchestral, chamber, wind ensemble, vocal/choral, piano, solo instrumental, film score and orchestral arrangements.
[From the composer’s website]
Performance Materials
Performance materials are available through the Canadian Music Centre:
https://cmccanada.org/shop/75368/?attribute_pa_format=pdd-score#