Six Fantasies on Christmas Carols for Piano Four-Hands
Douglas Townsend
About this work:
Fantasies on Il est ne, All Through the Night, Wassail Song, Coventry Carol, Silent Night, and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. Can be performed individually or as a group. All six were world premiered, broadcast and recorded by Ivory Crush (Maria Choban and Kenn Willson, pianists) in 2003. All six were most recently performed in a NY premiere at Saint Peter's Lutheran Church in Manhattan by Miriam Brickman and Thomas Schmidt on Nov. 25, 2008; and by Stephanie Ho and Saar Ahuvia at Lefrak Hall, the Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College, on Dec. 11, 2008 ("Wassail Song" as an encore to piano four-hands recital of works by NY Composers). Originally commissioned by Music Sales (G. Schirmer); published by C.F. Peters in two volumes in 2004 and 2005. In a very positive review of the two volumes in Clavier in October and December, 2006, the writer noted "interesting harmonic movement," "musical excitement," "musical variety;" "imaginative thematic developments," "satisfying to play." Five of the six fantasies, as performed by Maria Choban and Ken Willson, were recently broadcast on WNYC-AM and streamed live on the web on December 23, 2006. Commentary by the composer, Townsend, was part of the program, hosted by Oscar Brand. In December of 2009, all six fantasies were videotaped by filmmaker Dan Simon at the Bechstein Piano Center and put up on YouTube at www.youtube.com/douglastownsend. The pianists were Laura Ravotti and Nataliya Medvedovskaya. (I have orchestrated and had premiered three of these fantasies: Coventry Carol, All through the Night, and Wassail Song. I have also " bandestrated" and had premiered three of these fantasies: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, Wassail Song, and Silent Night. See them under their respective versions in this list of my compositions.)
Version: Concert Piano Four-Hands
Year composed: 2003
Duration: 00:19:00
Ensemble type: Keyboard:Piano 4 or More Hands
Instrumentation: 1 Piano
Instrumentation notes: pno 4-hands