Five Preludes
Bruce A. Stark
About this work:
Sound bites, youtube clips, details and on-line score purchasing available at:
belle-kane.com
Program Notes:
Five Preludes was composed for pianist Yuko Mifune, who premiered them in Tokyo the same year. The five pieces average no more than one and a half minutes each, and while conceived as a collection can be played separately or in partial combinations. I composed them with the intent of creating succinct, distinct worlds in each piece.
Prelude No. 1, mostly in 7/8 meter, is atmospheric, perhaps yearning or haunting depending on the performer. Though not in a common time signature, the music flows smoothly and doesn't call attention to its meter, which I hope enhances its capacity to evoke. Prelude No. 2 is the shortest piece in the group, possessing the character of a brief interlude with its shadowed, chordal statement. Prelude No. 3 is inspired by the rhythmically precise yet resonant textures found in music such as celtic harp, dulcimer and gamalon ensembles. A clear, rapid demarkation of time combined with lyrical beauty has a mesmerizing quality well-suited to the piano. Prelude No. 4 is the most songful of the group; I hope it conveys a warmth and sincerity which I associate with true friendship, and with vast, expansive beauty such as that of mountains and broad, peaceful skies. Prelude No. 5 is the most technically demanding and agressive music of the collection, drawing from rhythms and harmonies of jazz, while also possessing textures more characteristic of classical music.
Year composed: 2003
Duration: 00:08:00
Ensemble type: Keyboard:Piano
Instrumentation: 1 Piano