This is Neil Slade's
original orchestral recording, a one year long project paid
for by hundreds of donations from music lovers in the Denver
area- thus, the "People's Suite". Listeners paid Neil $1 per
measure to have their name inscribed on the original orchestral
manuscript- an original idea then
surreptitiously lifted by the Denver Symphony Orchestra
the following year- !
None
the less, The People's Suite features
members of the Denver Symphony and other professionals, along
with detailed digital synthesized orchestral parts. After
premiering on Denver's premier classical music radio station
KVOD, this
recording then toured the U.S. as part of a Kodak photograph
exhibition and premiered nationally as the soundtrack for a PBS
documentary to rave reviews, and was nominated for a regional
Emmy award.
The
orchestral suite is followed by Fred's Field, a Fred Poindexter
and Neil Slade duet on bamboo flute and electronic
harp-keyboard, and then a woodwind ensemble chamber composition,
"The Einstein Taxicab Quartet"
(see link for article and video)..
The album then features Neil playing an original alto
saxophone solo, "The Royal Starch", written with Stravinsky's
"The Soldier's Tale" in mind. (1977)
Then concludes with two modern piano-sax duets
written by Darius MIlhaud and Henri Tomasi, originally written
for orchestra and sax, here presented with Dee Netzel featured
on piano (1977).
All compositions Copyright 2025 by Neil Slade.
Engineered and mastered by Neil Slade.
The combination of classical symphony music
followed by chamber music and great Neo-classical music makes for an extended pleasurable Brain
Music Sensation!
Below, video with The Einstein Taxicab Quartet
Soundtrack
A quote from the original
press release, 1985:
The People's Suite For Symphony Orchestra
You, or your business, have a chance to immortalize
your name in the annals of music...
For $1, you will have a measure of
symphonic orchestra music written in your honor with
your name inscribed on the original manuscript
score...
Become a part of music history with "The People's Suite
for symphony Orchestra."
"Along with some very nice
coverage in the Denver media, I went door to door in
the ritzy Cherry Creek shopping district convincing
people to buy a measure (or several) of fresh
orchestral music. Hundreds of enthusiastic music lovers
helped out, including prominent media personalities,
and government officials (some of them still in office
despite their connection with me!). I spent the entire
next year composing, writing out hundreds of parts by
hand, and finally recording the six movement opus:
playing many of the parts myself on my synthesizer, one
violin layer at a time, and so on. This was
supplemented by talented professional musicians whose
parts were impossible to duplicate on my
keyboard."
"Charlie Samson, the music
director at Colorado's premier classical station KVOD,
heard the piece and decided it was worth an entire hour
of air time. (Some Beethoven symphony was the warm up
act in the preceding hour). Film producer Danny Salizar
chose the music to supply the soundtrack for his
nationally broadcast PBS special "Still". And finally,
Kodak used my recording in their U.S. traveling
exhibition "National Historic Places".
"Unfortunately, in my own home
town, the twenty-five minute symphony was not included
in the Denver Symphony concert schedule for that year. And they
didn't even bother to send me a rejection noticed after I had
submitted the piece for consideration as a concert number. Totally
ignored.
It should be noted that this orchestra went bankrupt
soon after this. Mere coincidence?!?"
"Danny Salizar called me one
day and said "Your music is up to be nominated for a
Emmy award for musical soundtrack, but you need
to join the television union first to qualify." Sadly,
I wasn't able to get my nomination. You see, in keeping
with the tradition of starving composer, I literally
didn't have the extra $25 to join the TV union. I had
spent all the funds plus thousands of my own dollars on
getting the perfect recording. Ah
well...."
"To top things off, a
year later the DSO went bankrupt and then re-emerged
as, "The Colorado Symphony Orchestra". While recently
flipping through a copy of the Denver Post, I stumbled
across an advertisement for the newly named CSO. Under the
heading "Notes for the Symphony," the ad featured this
pitch: "Write musical history. Buy a note of music for $10
for CSO Composer-in-Residence Jon Deak to use in his latest
work in progress, which will be performed at the annual
Fourth of July Concert at Fiddler's Green. Your donation
will help support CSO community programs year-round...The
more notes you buy, the more beautiful music we can make!"
"And they claimed it was an original idea of
their own."
"Karma intact, the not-so-original idea plan
failed to materialize any notable revenue for the CSO"
"I am happy to report that my composition
can still being heard on earphones and speakers around the
globe."
-Neil Slade
Neil Slade, electric and nylon string guitars, Fred Poindexter, steel string
finger-style guitar and per
