The story behind Willamette Winter Suite

When I approached Dave Metzger about a commissioned work for the WMC and the middle school students, he requested that we supply the text. We decided to solicit original poetry from the Judson and Crossler Middle School students. The poems were juried by a committee from the WMC and school administration, and five were presented to Mr. Metzger. Ultimately, he found all five workable and was inspired to compose the five-movement Willamette Winter Suite; it was completed in October of 2008.
     In the first movement, “During Winter,” the choirs are combined with the instrumental group in a haunting atmospheric opening. Mr. Metzger viewed this poem as a happy statement of the joys of winter, one that captures that feeling not only with a sense of the present, but also with allusions to pleasant memories from the past.
     After reading through the poem “Snow,” the composer pegged it as one of the slow tempo movements. Key phrases such as “blanket over the world” and “shield of stillness” led to this ballad-like writing. He wanted one movement of the suite to be a cappella and to have a bit of the gentle rubbing dissonance that comes from the major third of a chord nestled up against the fourth, and this poem seemed best fitted for both of those purposes. Mr. Metzger writes, “I tried to make this movement musically echo the warmth that I felt from reading the poem.”
     The third movement, “The Joy of Christmas,” was actually the final movement composed. It features the middle school choirs, in no small measure due to the last line of the lyric “especially when we’re young!” The composer writes, “The poem seemed to me to be very bouncy and cheerful, with a hint of anticipation. I couldn’t resist the use of sleigh bells and a two-beat accompaniment. It also seemed like a natural for the use of trumpet. I was certainly influenced by this poem’s upbeat take on Christmas, and how it so beautifully captured the anticipation of the season that children feel.”
     “Winter Waltz” was the first movement composed. Mr. Metzger decided to “go wide” in writing 8-part harmony and utilizing some elegant counter melodies. The middle school students are featured at the beginning, handing the text off to the Master Chorus at the bridge and then joining back in to finish together. Mr. Metzger writes, “I felt that the poem written by Anastasia Ruvimova was quite beautiful, and captured a wonderful sense of nostalgia. Picking the meter was made easy by the title, as well as the fact that the poem has a lilting, waltz-like flow to it. I was able to see a very definite bridge section that lent itself to a magical, yet warm treatment. I wanted to end this movement with a sense of suspension, which would be resolved by the ostinato rhythmic pattern that begins the final movement. I thought it would be nice to have a rising pattern that sounds as if it’s heading towards a resolution, but then to have it not resolve, leaving a sense of wondering what’s going to happen next. I also immediately knew that this was the movement to feature my son, Jeff, playing his violin. He has a very emotional playing style that fits well with the nostalgic sense of the poem.”
     The final movement, “Glazing Ice,” is a fast-moving piece that feels like an exciting sled ride from start to finish. A major feature throughout this movement is the polyphonic exchange between the men and women. The composer writes a kind of call and response, alternating between who is calling and who is responding. Mr. Metzger says, “I love how this poem has a lot of strength yet also beauty to it, as well as a wonderful sense of imagery. The poem made it quite easy for me to put the pieces of the musical puzzle together.”       --Paul Klemme

     Dave Metzger is a composer, arranger, and orchestrator. He has had an extensive career working on music for movies, Broadway, and television for over twenty years. Perhaps best known for his orchestrations, he has worked on 27 movies to date, including films as wide ranging as Bolt, Hancock, Kung Fu Panda, August Rush, The Simpsons Movie, Training Day, Tarzan, and Armageddon. Dave also orchestrated the Disney Broadway production of The Lion King, receiving a Tony Award nomination for Best Orchestration. His television credits include a five-year stint as a composer/arranger for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in the early 1990’s.
     Upon graduation from Corvallis High School, Dave moved to the Los Angeles area to pursue his interest in film music, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in music at California State University, Long Beach. While attending college, Dave began composing music for small industrial films. After receiving his undergraduate degree, he attended graduate school at University of California, Los Angeles.