H. Leslie Adams

2222 432+bstbn1 timp perc(3) cel strings

From the composer:

This is a tonal work in three sections with varying tempi. The first section (Allegro) begins quietly in the winds, and grows increasingly more rhythmic throughout the orchestra. The second section (Allegro moderato) introduces a two-part theme which recurs throughout the work, at first combined with the previous material, then gaining independence.

The third section (Moderato, con vivo) consists of four parts: 1) an energetic fugato played by the strings, followed by a secondary theme sounded first by the trumpet and oboe, then by the horns; 2) motivic development from the immediately preceding material heard in the brasses and strings, then in the full orchestra; 3) a brief lento passage continuously developing and 4) the return of the fugato, this time sounding in the woodwinds, then joined by the strings, percussion and brasses, bringing the work to a triumphant close.

Concert Overture, rev version from 1985. 

Leslie Adams' Ode to Life was commissioned by the Cuyahoga Community College of Cleveland on the occasion of its 15th anniversary.