A set of four movements cast in the Neo-Classical style of the early 20th century, these pieces represent a linear approach to music, one that is chromatic, delicate, and crude. In the music, one may hear influences from Bartok, Stravinsky, and Hindemith as well as Art Tatum and the jazz-style bebop.
Catalogue No. 04002
Digital score samples are available upon request.
I. Capriccio
A Myriad of scales and modes shuffled in a hyperactive manner as each instrument tries to be heard. Occasionally, a lighter mood sprouts, only to be decimated as each instruments continues to “out-do” the others.
II. Nocturnal Semantics
For this piece, I envisioned a quiet forest being consumed by the sound of animals anxiously awaiting moonlight. A march quickly emerges and moves unrelenting into the night.
III. Intermezzo
Taking a break from the fervor of the first two movements, Intermezzo consists of a simple melody carried by each of the woodwind instruments, with a little help from the piano.
IV. Chromatoccata
The finale, Chromatoccata, is a tour-de-force lead by the piano. The title stems from two musical terms; chromatic - all 12 tones within in the octave, and, toccata - a particular form invented in the 14th century, usually a fast piece written in a virtuosic manner. A series of conversations occur between the piano and the ensemble, at times threatening, but always saturated with humor and satire.
