Description
|
A. I am sleepless in your eyes’ flames B. Your smile’s enigma of silent music C. Rising from the water’s ashes D. Ironing the waves E. Slipping underwater into a dream of silk F. Gently gliding into fire G. Caught in crevasses illuminated by blue lightning Eastern Bagatelles is inspired by one of my youthful romantic poems. The melodic modes, textures and rhythms in the seven short bagatelles are a fusion of the Asian musical flavors that inspired me at that time. The intense, passionate melody in Section A suggests India or the Middle East. The slow, delicate melody in Section B begins col legno battuto, suggesting, perhaps, a Japanese koto, with pizzicato and bowing varying the color. The playful Section C suggests India, perhaps, or the Middle East. Section D is a slow lament, suggesting the gypsy migrants in southern Europe. Section E contains a slippery pentatonic subset of the Kalyan Raga from India, which is my personal mode (i.e., the Lydian). Perhaps we are with the gypsies again, or perhaps in the Middle East, in Section F, which is passionate, hypnotic and intense, then leaping into the very fiery, fast dance in 5/8 meter in Section G. (1982)
|
Notes
| Violin version (5:28 minutes). Performed by Joel Smirnoff. Recorded circa 1985. |