Duets

I. the hours rise up (e.e. cummings)
II. Things Will Go (Loren Eisley)
III. Two Remembering (an Estonian folk text)

clarinet, violin, piano, female voice
(2003-2004)
7 minutes

Premiered by:
Valerie Rogotzke, mezzo-soprano
Frances Lius, violin
Maiko Sasaki, clarinet
Catherine Glennon, piano

October 31, 2004 - Houston, Texas

listen (I)
listen (II)
listen (III)

About the piece:

Duets is a series of three short songs for mezzo-soprano. Each song pairs the voice with a different instrument: either violin, clarinet or piano. My goal was to create duets with two equal parts rather than songs for voice with instrumental accompaniment. Part of the challenge and fun of composing these was to find ways the instruments and voice could play off of each other - in particular, I looked for the voice and instruments to borrow each others idiomatic gestures. While the songs are united by this focus on the dialogue between the two parts, they do not form a cycle in the traditional sense. The songs were composed individually over a year and a half time period and the texts do not form a continuous narrative. I chose the poems mostly because I liked them individually, though there are loose connections between them. The first two poems share a certain long range perspective and sense of commentating on life. I chose to think of the Estonian text for Two Remembering in a similar way. I set the text as if the singer was remembering a song and a dance from childhood.