Lateral Perspectives was commissioned by the Lakeridge High School Wind Ensemble (Lake Oswego, Oregon) for director Rick Tippets on the occasion of his 31st and final season as director of bands. In honor of his retirement, Lateral Perspectives obtains its pitch materials almost exclusively from words and phrases associated with the band director, including his name and the name of "Lakeridge" High School.
The work's arch form - A B C B A - features stylistic underpinnings of jazz and fusion, a lyrical, harmonically dense ballad, and a lively pentatonic dance - all a reflection of Rick's vibrant musical personality. It should be noted here that the composer was a freshman at Lakeridge High School during Rick's "freshman" year 31 years prior to the composing of this work! Composer, Kevin Walczyk, is honored to have been asked to compose a work for his former High School music teacher. It was Rick Tippets that gave Walczyk ample opportunities to compose and arrange during his formative years at Lakeridge.
Video
Watch the premiere performance of Lateral Perspectives by the Lakeridge High School Wind Ensemble, Rick Tippets, conductor. This performance – Rick’s final as a high school band director – occurred at Lakeridge High School (Lake Oswego, OR), May 19, 2009.
LATERAL peRspecTives uses a process that transforms alpha information (letters and words) to pitch material. This allows the piece to incorporate words and names associated with the commissioning organization, including Rick Tippets (retiring director of bands that commissioned this work), Colleen (Rick’s wife), and Lakeridge (the name of the commissioning high school). The capitalized letters in the work’s title spells LATER, RT, which was a common farewell signature used by Rick and serves to underscore his retirement farewell. Later is, therefore, also transformed into pitch material. There are two different systems by which letters are transformed to pitches, hence two different melodic (and harmonic) possibilities for each given word (refer to the analysis pages of the LATERAL peRspecTives score).
Lateral Perspectives is a grade 4+ work. It is challenging to and suitable for most high school symphonic bands, wind ensembles and small college bands. The work is moderately challenging to and suitable for most college-level bands & wind ensembles.
flutes 1-3 – 3rd doubles piccolo
oboe
sopranino clarinet
clarinets 1-3
bass clarinet
contrabass clarinet
alto saxophones 1-2
tenor saxophone
baritone saxophone
bassoon
horns 1-4
trumpets 1-3
trombones 1-3 – 3rd is bass
euphonium – B.C. & T.C.
tuba
timpani
percussion 1 – 3 concert toms, snare drum, 2 timbales, cow bell, sizzle cymbal, and glockenspiel
percussion 2 – xylophone and vibraphone
percussion 3 – triangle, suspended cymbal, bass drum, crash cymbals, and chimes
percussion 4 – bass drum, shaker, marimba, suspended cymbal, and crash cymbals
piano
string bass
