World premiere: Marilyn Nonken, piano, Tenri Institute, Manhattan, NY, April 18, 2025
Program note:
Five Miniatures presents short contrasting movements, some taking inspiration from 19th century works. Movements 2, 3, and 4 hark back to Robert Schumann's well-known Kinderszenen, with references to the moods of the scurrying Catch Me, dreamy Träumerei, and playful By the Fireside, respectively. For the last Miniature, the inspirational source was an unusual Rossini aria in which the soprano sings only one note throughout. (The accompaniment has many more notes.) In my Miniature, the pitch D# takes pride of place in virtually every measure, although here, too, shifting harmonies beneath provide an atmosphere of restlessness.