PROGRAM NOTE
I composed Another Wedding March for my own wedding to Abraham (Avi) N. Lotan, my beloved husband. I had the good fortune of having several outstanding musicians who were dear friends travel to Chicago and perform as part of the festivities. When I asked my Chicago-based pianist friends Abraham and Arlene Stokman if they would agree to play as a duo, it was Abe who challenged me, almost jokingly, to compose a piece for the occasion. At first that struck me as an unlikely proposition, but then I could not resist… Was it not possible to create a short work for this auspicious moment in my life that would be celebratory, cheerful, fun, and at the same time true to myself as a composer? And while I did help myself to a direct quote from Mendelssohn’s immortal wedding march from Midsummer’s Night Dream, little else about Another Wedding March conforms to a regular beat pattern to which the bridal couple can steadily march. Amble or sprint, it’s a happy piece that offers a wink and may serve as an “occasional” as well as a brief concert piece.
—Shulamit Ran
INFORMATION
Premiere: June 8, 1986
Goodspeed Hall
The University of Chicago
Abraham and Arlene Stokman, pianists
Duration: c. 3’