Rain Worthington (1949- )
Rain Worthington has a distinctly unique voice within the field of contemporary music. As critic, Kyle Gann noted in Chamber Music
magazine, "her music takes ideas of American musical style to a new
place - like a walk in a familiar, yet very different park . . .
and isn't afraid to come up with its own startling conclusions".
Using the palette of chamber and orchestra instrumentations,
Worthington's work touches the human heart with emotionally
evocative music that is nuanced, delicate, powerful and transporting.
Her music has been heard in New York City loft concerts,
performance spaces and dance clubs, to orchestra recordings in Europe
and chamber concerts in India. World music, romanticism and minimalism
have influenced her compositional style. Worthington's compositions
have been performed by the SEM Ensemble, the Russian
Philharmonic Orchestra, Max Lifchitz, Zeitgeist, Englewinds,
the
Ricochet Duo and featured on radio broadcasts internationally. She has
been awarded grants from Meet The Composer, ASCAP, the American Music
Center, American Composers Forum, commissioned by Englewinds, and
is a "Sponsored Artist" at The Field. Her orchestra piece,
Shredding Glass, was entered by ERMMedia for 2009 Grammy
consideration. In addition to composing concert works, Rain serves
as Director of Development for New York Women Composers, Inc.COMPOSITIONS Worthington Links ~ ~ ~ Works by Genre ~ ~ ~ What's New & Reviews
Prelude for Winds, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and 3 horns (1991)
Hourglass, piano (1991)
Reflections of a Distant Time, oboe, clarinet, horn and viola (1994)
Winter's Solitude, oboe, clarinet (or violin), viola and cello (1995)
Amidst Confusion, flute and oboe (1995)
Reconsidering, flute and oboe (1995)
Why Is It?, oboe, viola and cello (1995)
Moving Through Shadows and Light, alto flute, viola and harp (1996)
Traveling Dreams, oboe, clarinet, violin, viola and cello (1996)
Tangents, piano (1996) [also arr. for wind quintet; and brass quintet, 2010]
Street City, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion (1996)
Resisting Reason, oboe, bassoon, violin, viola and cello; or double reed quintet (1996)
Long Division, a tone poem, orchestra (1997)
Walking On Wires, bassoon (or bass clarinet) and string quartet (1997)
Conflictions, string quartet (1997)
A Song Alone, flute, clarinet, violin, viola and cello (1997)
Crazed&Blue, a dance cycle, orchestra (1998)
Still Motion, a cycle for orchestra (1999) [formerly titled "January" - a cycle for orchestra]
Jilted Tango (duo), viola (or flute, or clarinet, or violin) and piano (1999)
Jilted Tango (trio), flute, viola and piano (1999)
Rhythm Modes, string quartet (1999)
As A Tear Falls, soprano, oboe, viola, cello and piano (1999)
Disturbances, 3 sequential nocturnes, orchestra (2000)
- Waking from Broken Dreams, a nocturne, orchestra (2000) [from "Disturbances", 2000]
- Yet Still Night, a nocturne, orchestra (2001) [from "Disturbances", 2000]
Running Late, flute, oboe, clarinet, string quartet and piano (2000) [chamber version of mvt from "Disturbances", 2000]
These days are filled ..., soprano, viola, cello and piano; or soprano and piano; or solo soprano (2000)
Dark Dreams, clarinet, English horn, bassoon, string quartet and piano (2001) [inspired by a painting by Jared FitzGerald]
- Dark Dreams, piano (2001; arr. for piano, 2007)
World News carnival spin (Chamber), piano and strings (2001)
At Night ..., mezzo-soprano, clarinet, violin, viola and piano (2001) [also arr. for mezzo-soprano, flute and piano]
Absorption, orchestra (2003)
Shredding Glass, orchestra (2004)
Always Almost, piano (2005)
Fanfare for a Starry Night, winds or brass, vibraphone and timpani (2007)
Bala Marimba, marimba (2007)
Confluences, orchestra (2008)
Light Currents, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and marimba (or vibraphone) (2008, withdrawn) [see version for marimba solo]
Light Currents, marimba (2008)
Tracing a Dream, orchestra (2009)
In Conversation, violin and cello; or clarinet and cello (2009)
Confidentially, bassoon and cello; or violin and cello (2009)
Four Scenes on Forest Road, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and marimba (or vibraphone) (2009)
On Curious Reflection, marimba and piano (2009)
Paper Wings, violin (2009)
Refrigerator Poems - Set 1, chorus (2010) [text: Therese McNally]
Wind Chime, A Fanfare, 4 horns, 2 trumpets and trombone (2010)
Only to Ask, flute, clarinet and bassoon (2010)
Imprints, fl, ob, cl, marimba (Guzheng or zither), vln, va, vc, db (2010) [also for flute and marimba]
Memories of Place, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, string quartet and double bass (2010)
Afternoon Reflections, basset clarinet (or bassoon) (2010)
Night Stream, 2 violins (2011)
Of Time Remembered, orchestra (2011)
WORKS BY GENRE Worthington Links ~ ~ ~ What's New & Reviews ~ top of page ~
Orchestra
Long Division, a tone poem, orchestra (1997)
- Pulses of Distraction
- Empty Corners
- Pulling Apart
Crazed&Blue, a dance cycle, orchestra (1998)
Still Motion, a cycle for orchestra (1999) [formerly titled "January" - a cycle for orchestra]
Disturbances, 3 sequential nocturnes, orchestra (2000)
- Running Late [also version for chamber ensemble]
- Waking from Broken Dreams, a nocturne, orchestra (2000) [from "Disturbances", 2000]
- Yet Still Night, a nocturne, orchestra (2001) [from "Disturbances", 2000]
Absorption, orchestra (2003)
Shredding Glass, orchestra (2004)
Fanfare for a Starry Night, winds or brass, vibraphone and timpani (2007)
Confluences, orchestra (2008)
Tracing a Dream, orchestra (2009)
Of Time Remembered, orchestra (2011)
Choral
Refrigerator Poems - Set 1, chorus (2010) [text: Therese McNally]
Chamber
Prelude for Winds, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and 3 horns (1991)
Reflections of a Distant Time, oboe, clarinet, horn and viola (1994)
Winter's Solitude, oboe, clarinet (or violin), viola and cello (1995)
Amidst Confusion, flute and oboe (1995)
Reconsidering, flute and oboe (1995)
Why Is It?, oboe, viola and cello (1995)
Moving Through Shadows and Light, alto flute, viola and harp (1996)
Traveling Dreams, oboe, clarinet, violin, viola and cello (1996)
Tangents, piano (1996) [also arr. for wind quintet; and brass quintet, 2010]
Street City, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion (1996)
Resisting Reason, oboe, bassoon, violin, viola and cello; or double reed quintet (1996)
Walking On Wires, bassoon (or bass clarinet) and string quartet (1997)
Conflictions, string quartet (1997)
A Song Alone, flute, clarinet, violin, viola and cello (1997)
Jilted Tango (duo), viola (or flute, or clarinet, or violin) and piano (1999)
Jilted Tango (trio), flute, viola and piano (1999)
Rhythm Modes, string quartet (1999)
Running Late, flute, oboe, clarinet, string quartet and piano (2000) [chamber version of mvt from "Disturbances", 2000]
Dark Dreams, clarinet, English horn, bassoon, string quartet and piano (2001) [inspired by a painting by Jared FitzGerald]
World News carnival spin (Chamber), piano and strings (2001)
Fanfare for a Starry Night, winds or brass, vibraphone and timpani (2007)
Light Currents, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and marimba (or vibraphone) (2008, withdrawn) [see version for marimba solo]
In Conversation, violin and cello; or clarinet and cello (2009)
Confidentially, bassoon and cello; or violin and cello (2009)
Four Scenes on Forest Road, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and marimba (or vibraphone) (2009)
On Curious Reflection, marimba and piano (2009)
Wind Chime, A Fanfare, 4 horns, 2 trumpets and trombone (2010)
Only to Ask, flute, clarinet and bassoon (2010)
Imprints, fl, ob, cl, marimba (Guzheng or zither), vln, va, vc, db (2010) [also for flute and marimba]
Memories of Place, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, string quartet and double bass (2010)
Afternoon Reflections, basset clarinet (or bassoon) (2010)
Night Stream, 2 violins (2011)
Solo Instrument
Bala Marimba, marimba (2007)
Light Currents, marimba (2008)
Paper Wings, violin (2009)
Afternoon Reflections, basset clarinet (or bassoon) (2010)
Piano
Hourglass, piano (1991)
Tangents, piano (1996) [also arr. for brass quintet, 2010]
Dark Dreams, piano (2001; arr. for piano, 2007)
Always Almost, piano (2005)
Vocal
As A Tear Falls, soprano, oboe, viola, cello and piano (1999)
These days are filled ..., soprano, viola, cello and piano; or soprano and piano; or solo soprano (2000)
At Night ..., mezzo-soprano, clarinet, violin, viola and piano (2001) [also arr. for mezzo-soprano, flute and piano]
WORTHINGTON LINKS Works by Genre ~ ~ ~ What's New & Reviews ~ top of page ~
The North/South Chamber Orchestra Premieres Four Works (Laura Ellis, MusicalAmerica)
Composer's website . . . contact Rain Worthington: here
Worthington @ American Composers Forum
Worthington @ American Music Center
Worthington @ Classical Archives
Worthington @ Classical Composers Database
Worthington @ Facebook (1)
Worthington @ Facebook (2)
Worthington @ InstantEncore
Worthington @ LinkedIn
Worthington @ MusicWeb International
Worthington @ MySpaceMusic
Worthington @ Navona Records
Worthington @ New York Women Composers, Inc.
Worthington @ The Twiolins
Worthington @ Twitter
Publisher
Worthington @ Composer's website
Streaming Audio
Worthington @ Composer's website
Worthington @ Classical Archives
Worthington @ last.fm
Worthington @ MySpaceMusic
Worthington @ ReverbNation
Recordings
Worthington @ Composer's website
Worthington @ Amazon.com
Worthington @ ArkivMusic
Worthington @ ClassicsOnline
Worthington @ CD Baby
Worthington @ CD Universe
Worthington @ itunes
Worthington @ Navona Records
Worthington @ Naxos
Worthington @ North South Recordings
Video
Worthington @ YouTube
Worthington @ Google Video
~ top of page ~
What's New with Rain Worthington
Afternoon Reflections (for basset clarinet) has won First Place in the Anton Stadler Composition Competition in the Unaccompanied Basset Clarinet category. See here for more information. The piece is scheduled to be performed in a 2011 concert by virtuoso clarinetist, Mark B. Naylor.
CD Reviews
Rain Worthington: Yet Still Night – A Nocturne for Orchestra (2001) [6:02]
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra/Robert Ian Winstin, conductor
Not everything is cosy and nice in the nocturne Yet Still Night. There’s a very disturbing undercurrent to this music. Like the Swedish composer Allan Pettersson, Worthington has achingly difficult things to say to us, and her use of chromaticism, especially downward chromatic movement, to convey anguish, is very effective. Yet Still Night starts as a kind of starry night, the wrong notes in both harmony and melody only serving to show that there are clouds on the horizon. It’s a child’s vision, tempered by a child’s knowledge of the Bogeyman. There’s a monstrous clock in the middle, somehow eating away at time itself. In its short playing time, Yet Still Night manages to covey a lifetime of horrors, doubts perhaps, and when it stops – it doesn’t end, it simply stops – we’re left none the wiser. Disquiet is obviously Worthington’s aim, and she succeeds superbly. This is a marvelous piece, with subtle orchestration and a bold wash of melody and harmony. I am excited by it, and I hope you will investigate it because, as they say, it’s well worth it. The sound is brilliantly clear and precise.
Bob Briggs/MusicWeb International
Rain Worthington: Shredding Glass (2004) [10:08]
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra/Robert Ian Winstin, conducto
It’s always a real pleasure to discover a composer whose work is new to you, whose work speaks to the senses and is packed with real emotion. Shredding Glass is Ms Worthington’s response to the atrocity of 9/11, but it’s not a wild, violent, “Somebody must pay” kind of piece; it’s about the mind-numbing unbelievability of the situation. It’s when you stand openmouthed, wide- eyed, and speechless trying to take in what has happened. This music is in a world of its own. It has an original voice and is quite specific in what it has to say. Certainly there’s much tragedy in the music, but Ms Worthington is no spectator here, she is consumed with what has happened. The affront is personal and she obviously felt the need to share her feelings Using a relatively small orchestra – no trumpets, and the most subtle percussion – she allows us to be part of the outrage, but not in any tub-thumping way, more in an intellectual and intelligent way than merely hang ’em high rhetoric. Worthington understands exactly how to convey painstaking agony without ever lapsing into cliché or being maudlin. This is a very beautiful work, which weaves intricate patterns of sound in an hallucinogenic haze. It’s beautifully orchestrated, the material is well handled and it creates a dreamscape of exquisite allure. There are no heroes here, just we impotent onlookers. Shredding Glass makes for a superb disk, and one not to be missed. Well worth investigating.
Bob Briggs/MusicWeb International
Masterworks of the New Era, vol. 12 (ERMMedia 6827) - Works by Rain Worthington and others.
Czech Philharmonic/Robert IanWinstin, conductor
From the title alone, one would expect Rain Worthington's Shredding Glass, performed by the Czech Philharmonic, to be a work of brutal nature, especially when put in the context of its original inspiration: the horrific events of 9/11. But Worthington's piece provides the listener instead with exquisite disintegration, mere glass filaments casting light in all directions, with an undercurrent of unresolved apprehension. She first offers cascading tone clusters, stated in the upper strings and woodwinds and settling into undulating, syncopated ostinato patterns with sustained pedals in the low brass and strings. The texture is transparent but luminous, reminiscent perhaps of the late works of Mahler. This section dissolves into one featuring more
dissonant clusters in syncopated gestures. Next, a musical heartbeat, building in intensity with a deep feeling of foreboding. The final, more lyrical section contains transparent counterpoint and small ascending and descertding chromatic threads in the upper strings and winds. Low brass and percussion continue their brooding, with singular notes of the piano wrapping up the entire work as a spider in a delicate glass web. Worthington is successful in reaching our subconscious and leaves us with our own deep feelings of disbelief and despair, which resound long after unimaginable tragedy.
Scott Locke/Journal of IAWM (International Alliance of Women in Music), vol. 15, no. 1/2009
Moods: American Women (North/South 1049)
Max Lifschitz, piano
The latest installment in this excellent series is a bit harder to warm to than the others I've encountered, but it still offers striking music. Moods is a puzzling title since melancholy pervades nearly all these contemporary piano pieces by American women.
Marilyn J. Ziffrin's title set and her sonata are predominantly somber; their toccata-like finales are a lively relief. Elizabeth Bell, whose 80th birthday is celebrated in this recording, offers a revised version of Arecibo Sonata from the 1960s. It too is rather glum, especially the dark slow movement, written when the composer was undergoing cancer treatments. A relief comes in the impish march and the concise, passionate finale. The relentless augmented fourths in Rami Levin's Passages express a collision of emotions: the joy of one child's birth and the bittersweetness of another going off to college: neither experience sounds very
happy. Rain Worthington's mood sketches, the most extensive part of the program, have a delicate wistfulness and Satie-like repose. I'm not often a fan of minimalism, but these chordal repetitions and loopings are strangely compelling. The shifting sands of Hourglass stretch time seductively; the endless droopings of Tangents are, in Worthington's words, "fragments of thoughts that tangentially pass through conversations" - a Joycean conceit subtly realized; Dark Dreams evokes "emotional demons", apparently more elegant and better-behaved than the ones I have; Always, Almost, the album's finale, express, in the composer's words, yearnings that "remain unfulfilled, seemingly out of reach". Closing the album on this 6-minute fade-out is a daring idea. Max Ufschitz plays the few instances of fast music with splendid brio and is sensitive to the grey nuances in the others. He is a consummate musician. The arresting naturalness of the recorded sound - a hallmark of this series brings the most attenuated chords in Ziffrin's Moods and Worthington's nocturnes to vivid life.
Sullivan/American Record Guide (Jan/Feb 2010)
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