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I will admit right off that I cannot dance. The few times that I have been coerced on to the dance floor, images of a lumbering, lead footed cinematic Frankenstein's monster conveniently come to mind. However, I have been continually entranced by the synchronized swirl of waltzing pairs of elegantly dressed ballroom dancers and always wanted to capture the delirious impression of that sensuous scene. Waltzes, Old and New , like the three other two-piano works, is derived from pre-existing material; but, in this case the material is from earlier works by this composer. The piece opens with the initial waltz from The Waltz King (1976), and it also ends it, much in the manner of the original work in its original form (The Waltz King was enlarged to include a final chorus a few years ago). Excerpts of waltzes from a set of piano solos (New Waltzes) from 1991 are also incorporated into the musical stew. Lastly, the comic climax of the one-movement work features a transformation of a familiar children's melody. Although the tone of the work is intended to be somewhat tongue-in-cheek, it is a serious work with complex poly-developmental procedures widely employed in that last couple of years. The stylistic palette is broad, but the pacing is closely bound with the sonata tradition. P.R. |