Rorem, N :: Bright Music

Bright Music consists of 5 movements written for flute, 2 violins, cello and piano by Ned Rorem.

The composer constructed not from themes but from motives and fragments. The first movement Fandango, for example, which is actually a rondo, is built from a ritornello of four adjacent notes, E-D-G-F. The net effect is meant to evoke a rat in an ash can, commencing with spasmodic flurries, starts and stops, then gusting into a raucous mazurka. The second movement Pierrot is a meditation on Picasso's early blue-period paintings, although this was decided ex post facto. The third movement Dance-Song-Dance is a scherzo based on a major triad, followed by a long lament based on the same triad in slow motion that returns to the scherzo, and whirls to a close. the fourth movement Another Dream is a series of solos by flute and strings that weave themselves slowly around the piano's 48-measure ostinato in 9/8. Finally, the fifth movement Chopin is the wisp of an echo of that composer's B-flat minor Piano Sonata. Includes score and parts.