I am now in possession of another short CD, this one comprised entirely of compositions for winds. My colleagues [Audrey Markowitz, oboe; Kyoko Hida-Battaglia, English horn (and oboe); Patricia Yee, bassoon] and I recorded these eleven pieces at Futura Productions in Roslindale, and I am once again quite pleased with the results.
I patched together what may ultimately form the Partita in G for Double-Reed Trio -- Invention in G minor, Rondo in G Major, Fugue #1 in G minor, Renaissance Dance in G Major, and Fugue #2 in G minor. As a group, these are certainly somewhat unusual -- three baroque contrapuntal works (in minor mode) with a classical rondo and Renaissance dance (the latter two in major mode). Moreover, the second fugue has already been published as my Op. 3, #3 "Fugue for Cor Anglais and Piano." However, I think the assembly works quite nicely, and the concluding fugue probably sounds better with the three woodwinds than with English horn and piano.
I finally got to record my transcription of my father's song, "A Man-Child's Lullaby" (with oboe; published for oboe or flute & piano). I also completed my Op. 3 recordings with the second (and best) piece, "Song Without Words."
The new works -- all of which came to me in dreams -- formed a set: Four Romances for Cor Anglais and Piano. Of these, the most interesting is #1 in F, which begins with a short excerpt from Beethoven's first cello sonata (but branches off in a totally different direction). The third, in b minor, derived from my earlier setting of "Heartbreak Hill," by Celia Thaxter, and clearly works quite nicely for English horn.
I am very excited about these new compositions (as well as the two already published), and hope they will be performed in near future.
