Symphony Delays Premiere of Work by Roger Reynolds

The world premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Roger Reynolds’ orchestral work “Dreaming,” scheduled for its first performance by the San Diego Symphony on Dec. 11, has been postponed until the 1993-94 season.

Music director Yoav Talmi announced the program change Thursday morning, explaining that the orchestra had not received all of the orchestra parts of the new score.

“The music material arrived only partially, with some parts still not available to several key soloists,” Talmi said. The 23-minute work by the UC San Diego resident composer features 12 instrumental soloists.

“Under these circumstances, both the musicians and I feel we cannot give a fair performance of the work,” Talmi said.

Reynolds expressed both surprise and extreme disappointment over the postponement.

“I was in weekly touch with several members of the symphony management and at no time did they specify (deadlines) concerning the parts,” he said. “My publisher could have delivered all the parts two to three weeks before the first rehearsals if they had made this desire known. I know that some players were studying their parts from copies made from the conductor’s score, which Talmi had.”

Among U.S. orchestras, it is common practice for a new score to be in the players’ hands no less than two weeks before a performance. Talmi said he is strongly committed to performing “Dreaming.” In place of Reynolds’ work, he will lead the orchestra in Ottorino Respighi’s “The Birds” for the three concerts Dec. 11-13 at Copley Symphony Hall.