orchestra

Two Songs on Poems by Yevgeny Yevtushenko; the composer and poet met one another by chance one day after work in the hallway of one of NYU's faculty residences.

The Da Capo Chamber Players commissioned this work in its chamber ensemble version, and performed it extensively, including on tour in Russia. A large orchestration lay unperformed, and in 2012, the anniversary of NYU's FAS Dept of Music celebratory concert provided an opportunity to create a smaller orchestral version.  The drama of the poetryin the first movement seems to demand the possibility of a massing of instruments. The first poem set, "Who are You, Grand Canyon?" was considered too long at first, but the composer followed the wishes of the poet, and made only one small cut. The second song is a eulogy for the Challenger spacecraft, in a more subdued meditative setting. The poems reflect Yevtushenko's extensive travels in the United States, and his acute awareness of American life.

Composed in 2009 at the request of duo parnas, sisters Madalyn (violin) and Cicely (cello). It consists of a series of contiguous elaborated variations on a theme stated at the beginning, which is material also used in several works by the composer, including his Sigol Musings for solo violin, String Quartet No. 3, and 'Sigol' for Two, a fantasy written for duo parnas in 2008 and recorded on their CD Gare du Nord.  The theme starts rhapsodically  and ends with a little dance. The sequence of seven parts is identical in form to 'Sigol' for Two, and consists of the theme, a scherzando, a nervous fantasy, an aria which paraphrases the theme, a quixotic drama, a lullaby, and a varied reprise of the scherzando.  The relationship of the solo duo to the orchestra is more in the nature of collaboration than confrontation; the orchestra provides congenial settings for the solo parts while maintaining its own character. Fantasia concertante was awarded First Prize in the 2009 Fauxharmonic competition in Boston and was premiered at Indiana University in February 2011 by duo parnas with the Indiana New Musuic Ensemble conducted by David Dzubay.