Ania's Song: A Pavane for String Orchestra
James Aikman
About this work:
Ania's Song was a commission from Thomas J. Beczkiewicz, co-founder of the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis with legendary violinist and teacher, Josef Gingold. Tom and his wife, Ania, have been extremely supportive of my work, my life’s trials, and he asked me to write a work celebrating Ania’s birthday in December of 2003. The obvious choice was something including a violin! The work was initially a string quartet, and was performed in a concert at the Indiana Historical Society featuring IVCI Laureate Ivan Chan, and David Ling, violin; Nancy Agres, viola: and Ingrid Fischer-Bellman, cello. But the piece, built around the initials of her name (A, D, B) resonated in a larger fashion as well.
(Ania Dowgiallo is of Polish royalty, complete with castles and the like, yet lost it all to the Nazis during WWII. She became a US citizen and married Tom. After the war, the communists took her property, claimed it, etc. yet recently, she and her family have been able to return and visit.)
Ania's Song is a tribute to the royalty that lives within her quiet, sublime, acceptance of life's travails. It also attempts to address reflection, joy, peace, memory.
Year composed: 2006
Duration: 00:09:00
Ensemble type: Orchestra:String Orchestra
Instrumentation:
Instrumentation notes: Full strings, or chamber strings