Music for Beth Henley's ABUNDANCE
2015 - Michael Roth’s original music and sound combine chords that would do Dimitri Tiomkin or Alfred Newman proud with some
Stravinsky-esque melodies thrown in for electric, eclectic measure - Steven Stanley/StageSceneLA
1989 - Time's flight is well marked by Michael Roth's ingenious musical narration, advancing through history as surely as the story itself -
Tom O'Connor/OC Register
I composed the music and sound for the world premiere of Beth Henley's ABUNDANCE at South Coast Rep (1989), revising it for the Manhattan Theatre Club/NY premiere (1990). The score, essentially a collection of short variations, miniatures for multitracked solo fiddle (and a touch of viola), evolves over the play's 25 year time span (1865-1890) into early ragtime with the help of a trombone. Some have described the score as fiddle music put through a minimalist filter, and that may be an accurate description of the score's contrapuntal textures. I've always had enormous fondness for Beth Henley and her beautfiul play - and was delighted to revisit the score for the 25th anniversary production at SCR (2015) and below, via a series of music video slideshows, is my revised score for - and dedicated to - Beth Henley and her lovely and poetic ABUNDANCE.
Opening Music for ABUNDANCE - as revised for the 2015 production
ABUNDANCE - Music from Scene 3 to Scene 4
ABUNDANCE - Music from Scene 5 to Scene 6
ABUNDANCE - Music from Scene 8 to Scene 9
ABUNDANCE - Music from Act Two, Scene 3 to Scene 4
Trailer for the 2015 SCR production, featuring early version of the opening music
ABUNDANCE - Music from Scene 1 to 2 and Entr'acte/Top Act II
ABUNDANCE - Music from Scene 4 to Scene 5
ABUNDANCE - Music from Scene 7 to Scene 8 - from Civil War tune THE LITTLE MAJOR
ABUNDANCE - Music from Scene 10 to Scene 11
ABUNDANCE - RAG TO 1890 - fifteen years later
ABUNDANCE MONTAGE from the 2015 production - featuring the Opening Music
Very special thanks to the musicians - violinists Marshall Coid,
Yvette Holzwarth, Eric Starr on trombone, and Peter Sprague.
My score for ABUNDANCE is available for production
via Dramatists Play Service - and/or contact me directly.
and very special thanks to Theresa Videan
who made this beautiful ceramic piece in her kiln
using the opening ABUNDANCE music
.