Eruption for Orchestra

Jean-Francois Charles Boston Modern Orchestra Project
BMOP reading my orchestration of Eddie Van Halen's Eruption

The electric guitar solo Eruption, by Van Halen, is "considered one of the most influential rock instrumentals of all time" (see linked wikipedia article). This Spring, I had a lot of fun transcribing it into a 2-minute orchestral piece. I bought the CD Van Halen, along with the transcriptions Van Halen Best Of, Volume I (Best of Van Halen). After analyzing the piece, I wrote the arrangement while paying a special attention to the orchestral playability. That's why I used very different time signatures than the ones in the guitar transcription book aforementioned.

An Orchestration Course at Harvard

This was my final project for a great orchestration class that I took this spring in the Music Department. Michael Gandolfi, Chair of the composition department at New England Conservatory, was teaching it as a special guest. With five other composers, we were lucky to study with this artist, very experienced and so enthusiastic with the orchestra as an instrument.

Michael Gandolfi and the Harvard Music Department invited BMOP, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, to read our final projects. Conductor Gil Rose and all the musicians did an awesome job.

I signed an agreement to not publish the recording, but I hope I will have the opportunity to share this music in the future. Indeed, this orchestral miniature may become an interlude of a larger piece mixing electric guitar and orchestra. I will have to get Eddie Van Halen's authorization in the first place, of course.

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