Instrumentation: Piano Solo
Duration: ca. 6:00
Program Note:
Midnight Dances is inspired by a phrase from one of the best-loved classics of children’s literature— The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. In composing this work, I wanted to write a piece that incorporated the captivating rhythmic drive that I so admire in my favorite contemporary works for piano. The piece opens with a brief atmospheric introduction before launching into the first dance section. After a flourish, this dance winds down and gives way to a more effusive, stately second theme. The first dance recommences, but it melts into an ostinato figure and a quasi- canon that reprises the second theme. After a final climax, the first dance gradually winds down, leading back into the atmospheric tones that opened the work.
Awards: Received an honorable mention in the international composition competition The Contemporary Piano 2017.
Comments from the adjudicators:
“A piece full of energy and very interesting harmonic and rhythmic changes throughout. Especially in terms of rhythm, there are some challenging passages that will create a very powerful and exciting feeling [for] the listener if the interpretation is accurate. Clear and ‘pianistic’ writing.”
View the full comments here under the identifier 4488.
Peter A. Underhill 