Program notes
for the April 5th concert



IsraeI Kremen's Kaleidoscope (2005)



"Kaleidoscope" is a set of 25 Preludes and Fugues for Piano and for Humankind" (2005), written in memory of inspirational masterpieces by J.S. Bach, Paul Hindemith, Dimitri Shostakovich and Rodion Shchedrin. The work uses folk (not popular!) tunes, folk melodies and folk dances of many different nationalities--Bulgarian, Jewish, Russian, Chinese, etc.--as thematic material many Preludes and Fugues, as well as traditional dance rhythms, such as Polka, Minuet, Gavotte, Mazurka. There is also an instance of a Double Motet, a 13th century musical genre. In certain pieces the audience is asked to participate in the performance, by clapping a rhythm, whistling the tune, etc. This performance is the Massachusetts premiere of the composition. It is also available on 2 CDs (2011). . Prelude in C Major opens the whole composition I named "Kaleidoscope" with a simple and joyful Polka. In the fugue, the use of tonality deviates from the traditional tonic/dominant approach. After the initial introduction of the theme in C Major, "the answer" shifts to D-flat Major, this odd juxtaposition continuing throughout the whole piece. Prelude in A Major is written as a Mazurka, using traditional functional harmony. The 4-voice Fugue is based on a 12-tone theme, uses an intricate rhythmic pattern of 13/8 (3/8+3/8+3/8+4/8), and ends with a "mother of all strettas," followed by unexpectedly simple two final diatonic chords: a dominant resolving to the tonic. Prelude in B Major is dedicated to all four masters. It starts in the left hand, with the quotation of the theme from Paul Hindemith's "Fugue", followed by 4 notes - DSCH - representing Dmitri Shostakovich, while the right hand is playing 6 notes - SHCHED - representing Rodion Shchedrin, with 4 notes - BACH - representing Bach finally appearing in bar 7. The Prelude also ends with a quotation of the theme from Hindemith's "Fugue", mirroring the beginning. The 3-voice Fugue's subject starts attacca (without any pause) with 4 notes - BACH - representing Bach, plus 9 other non-repeated notes. It is a Scherzo; the composer hopes that the piece will, in fact, make the audience smile. This Fugue also ends with 4 notes - BACH - in the left hand.



Program Notes for the April 19th Concert



"Smile of the Great Spirit" for Flute, Violin, Cello and Piano
by Demetrius Spaneas



"Smile of the Great Spirit" is a translation of the Abenaki word 'winnipesaukee' and is a musical portrait of a day on the lake of the same name in New Hampshire. I was there on vacation when commissioned to write a piece, and I couldn't think of a better subject. The piece begins at dawn and moves throughout the day, portraying the sun, the scintillating water, the mountains overlooking the valley and the clouds above. There are also moments of a storm--one of those fast-moving storms that you experience there in the summer--and just as quickly as it came, it dissipates and the glorious sun shines through, creating myriad colors and reflections on the water and in the air. After that, the piece settles down into the evening with the onset of dusk and nightfall, as if a background for the ubiquitous sounds of nature as the sun disappears.



"Memory Garden" for flute, cello and piano by Elliott Miles McKinley



The Memory Garden is dedicated to my extended family, the Finegolds, and the Essex Chamber Music Players. This represents my third work for the ECMP to go along with 50+ Times Three from 2012 and Of Memories and Love: Summer 1978 from 2014. This new work, as the title suggests, revolves around memory and ideas are presented in fragments and shards at the start that eventually form a complete picture toward the end. While not dedicated to my brother Jory, who passed away suddenly in August 2019, it is hard for me not to imprint my own feelings about this loss, and my confusion about this loss, into the music. The work completes a triptych of instrumental trios, starting with “The Shadow Dancer” in 2018 and “The Dream Angel” in 2019.


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