PROGRAM NOTE Spirit was composed in memory of Laura Flax (1952–2017), the renowned New York-based clarinetist and my cherished friend. Our musical and personal association began in 1977 when Laura invited me to compose a solo clarinet work, For an Actor: Monologue for Clarinet, in memory of her mother, Hazel Flax, whom I had known.…
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PROGRAM NOTE The Da Capo Chamber Players’ invitation to a group of composers/friends of the ensemble to write a short piece incorporating, in any way desired, the group’s name into its format, turned out to be an interesting challenge. Repetition is the essence of comprehensibility. But — Da Capo, today? While the initial temptation was…
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PROGRAM NOTE FOR AN ACTOR: MONOLOGUE FOR CLARINET owes its inspiration in large part to the intensely personal ethos with which the clarinet is associated in my mind. To me, the instrument in its contemporary usage suggests an incredible gamut of gestures, dynamics and emotions. Accordingly, in MONOLOGUE, the player assumes the role of a…
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Commissioned by WFMT as part of a 20th century Song Cycle commissioning seriesFirst recorded for and broadcast by WFMT on June 20, 1979Judith Nicosia, sopranoLaura Flax, clarinetAlan Feinberg, piano Duration: c. 20’ Apprehensions was one of nine works commissioned by WFMT, Chicago’s Fine Arts Radio Station, as part of a series examining the 20th century…
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