- Valentines (2009) violin and piano 5'
- Commissioned by Stephanie Wendt.
- Premiere—2010 by Dale Barltrop and Stephanie Wendt, Minneapolis, MN.
Program Note
We tend to forget that any Strauss waltz—the Blue Danube, for instance—is not one, but as many as five waltzes, varying in theme, key or texture, strung together as a garland. Valentines is a similar posy of three almost-waltzes in the spirit of Fritz Kreisler, the great Austrian violinist who gave us such gems as Liebesfreud and Liebesleid. In the present work, a sentimental theme with a prominent aspiring sixth (so Viennese!) is the vine that twines between the other bitonal and bluesy sections.
I was delighted when my dear and inspiring teacher Stephanie Wendt suggested bartering lessons for valentines. And I have greatly admired Dale Barltrop's music-making in the SPCO. It has been a rare pleasure writing for two such big-hearted virtuosi.