For Solo Piano-Fantasy For Piano was composed by Samuel Adler for his former student Michael Brown who premiered the work at Juilliard at a concert featuring works by Adler in honour of his 85th birthday. This one-movement work begins with a majestic introduction that is interrupted twice by short spurts of agitated music. This unfolds into a fast virtuosic main section that was composed to show off the dexterity of the soloist. Adler himself wrote about the work 'I have always felt that we are living in a most exciting time and the agitation and exuberance of this main section is to demonstrate my veryoptimistic outlook.'
SKU: PR.11441123S
UPC: 680160016303. 8.5 x 11 inches.
The Quintet for Piano and String Quartet was written for the American String Quartet in the summer of 2000. It is in one movement but has two distinct parts. The first is a slow movement characterized by dotted rhythms. It is a fantasy with some long flowing lines interrupted by short fragments usually in the piano. After a rather agitated section in 6/8 time, this section comes to a quiet close on a G-sharp major chord. The second section of this thirteen-minute work is marked Fast and Energetic. It begins with chords that recur throughout the movement and after two measures a long main theme is introduced which is developed and altered during the rest of the fast portion of the work. One could call this second part a sort of rondo form since this long lyrical theme returns always after contrasts. When it does return, it is treated often by means of imitation, but at the climax returns played in unison by the strings while the piano renders an energetic sixteenth note background. The work ends on an E-flat major chord though the piece is certainly not in any one key, but rather features quick modulations. One might call this non-tonal music which nevertheless always feels like it has a tonal center. --Samuel Adler.
