CHAMBER MUSIC:
Within this category of music that already encompasses a massive range of possible instrumental combinations, and I have decided to include works using solo voice in the chamber music setting and a work for four-hand piano.
Counterparts for flute, violin, viola, cello, piano
Five movements: I. fl/vla; II. fl/vln/pno; III. vln/vcl; IV. vla/vcl/pno; V. quintet (1987)
The design of Counterparts uses a different instrumental combination for each movement, inspired in that way by Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. It is feasible for each of the movements to be extracted and used on its own. However, the material of each earlier movement is intended as preface for the grand finale in which the musical ideas previously presented return in new contexts.
One, Two, Three, O-U-T for soprano, cello and piano
Single movement (1990)
One, Two, Three, O-U-T uses a text derived from several children’s counting out rhymes. The goal was to create a not-so-serious work that would still be worthy of formal concert performance. Commissioned by the Lanier Trio.
No Longer of That World for soprano, flute, clarinet/bass clarinet, piano, percussion
.Single movement (1988)
The text for No Longer of That World is extracted from three disparate sources and formed into a kind of libretto. I was thinking operatically when conceiving and writing the work, and I also wanted to use jazz language with more apparentness.
To Know the Dark for flute, clarinet, cello and marimba
Single movement (1991)
To Know the Dark is a quartet designed around a prominent cello line that is aggressively stated in its first appearance. As the piece progresses, each statement loses some anxiety, as does the response to it from the rest of the ensemble. Coherence and tranquility dominate the final passages.
But It Does Move for alto saxophone and marimba
Single movement (1982)
I sought to think of the two instruments as peers in counterpoint.
Castles for four-hand piano
Three movements (2022)
This work is inspired by three castles in Europe and by the cultures of the lands, both past and present.
I. Sforzesco (Milan, Italy) is a fortress that was once the symbol of power and corruption for politics and the church. The movement is modern and aggressive in character.
II. La Rochepot (Burgundy, France) dates from the time when this was an important center of commerce and culture. The movement is a fantasy on L’homme armé, a 15th century Burgundian popular tune with clever features, a political lyric, and an ironic lilt. Elements of Medieval harmony appear, such as fauxbourdon and a highly ornamented double-leading-tone final cadence.
III. Chillon (Montreux, Switzerland) sits on the shores of Lake Geneva. The movement reflects the strength of this astounding edifice as well as the incongruence of its current setting, which includes designer shops, resort accommodations, and jazz.