Opus 420
Postcard Partita (2002)
for Piano
- Postcard to Montreal (for Wolfgang Bottenberg)
- Postcard of Venice (for Lorraine VanMeter-Cline)
- Postcard to the North Country (for Michael Arnowitt)
- Postcard to Galesburg (for Bruce Polay)
- A Summer Sunrise (for Daron and Gilda on their wedding, June 22, 2002)
Duration: 8.25 min.
Publisher: Subito Music Corp.
Performance materials available from the publisher.
Postcard Partita (2002) is a compilation of a series of small piano pieces written between 1999 and 2002 as gifts for friends and colleagues.
I. Postcard to Montreal was written for composer Wolfgang Bottenberg of Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. It is an energetic march, with a lyrical interlude in the middle.
II. Postcard of Venice was written for Lorraine Van-Meter Cline. It is a lush and flowing portrait of Venice, Italy, her favorite city.
III. Postcard to the North Country was written for pianist Michael Arnowitt of Vermont (the “North Country” of the title). It is an energetic and driving romp around the piano, creating large masses of sound.
IV. Postcard to Galesburg was written for composer, conductor, and pianist Bruce Polay. The opening gesture of the work, from which the music gently unfolds, alludes to the initial gesture in Polay’s art song, The Age of the Flower.
V. A Summer Sunrise was written for composer and pianist Daron Hagen on the occasion of his marriage to composer and vocalist Gilda Lyons. The piece begins with a section marked “bells: a massive carillon coming to life.” After the “carillon” has reached its peak, a joyful dance emerges, filled with summer zest.