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Six Etudes and a Dream

for solo piano

Year
2015
Duration
25'
Category
Solo
Commission
Commissioned by Lisa Moore
Premiere
April 7, 2016 · New York, NY (USA)
Miller Theatre, Columbia University
Miller Theatre Composer Portrait Concert
Lisa Moore, piano
Publisher
Schott

Pianist Lisa Moore has an extraordinary charisma and energy at her instrument, with a kind of musical laser focus that I find tremendously inspiring. I wanted to write her a set of pieces that would play to her wonderful range and character as a performer. So I decided to write pieces in the spirit of etudes: each focuses on a different type of playing or technique or pianistic color. There is one odd piece out: the 'dream,' which is in no way an etude. This 'dream' came about when I was looking after Lisa's petunias while she was away from home. Unfortunately, her petunias languished and died. Feeling very bad, I wrote a piece to commemorate the poor flowers that had perished in my care. The set of pieces as a whole is playful, energetic, and sometimes dark and contemplative. It is a work which reflects my deep admiration for Lisa's musicianship and playing. Hannah Lash

Movements

I Fast Chords
II Melody Line
III Fast and Slow
IV Four Voices
V Thumbs and Pinkies
VI Petit rêve pour les pétunias défuntes
VII Trills