Mother Earth Program Notes
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Seule dans la forêt by Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983)
Vöglein by Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) Forest Bird by Katherine Hoover (1937-2018) A Hermit Thrush at Morn by Amy Beach (1867-1944) Visions of Dunbar by Robert Schultz (b. 1948) Children of Light, No. 5 by Karen Tanaka (b. 1961) Northern Lights Galapagos Land Iguana Marsupial Mole Florida Panther Polar Bear Tides of Manaunaun by Henry Cowell (1897-1965) Water Dance III by Karen Tanaka (b. 1961) Meditation Prelude No. 4: Cumulus Humilus by Patrick Burke (b. 1974) Sounds of a Fjord for piano and electronics by Kaja Bjørntvedt (b. 1981) Pole Mountain Suite by Bonnie McLarty (b. 1983) I. First Light II. Old Happy Jack Trail III. Mountain Stream IV. Autumn Sky: Fog, Sunbreak, Last Light Mirage by Elisenda Fábregas (b. 1955) Rhythms of the North Country by Gwyneth Walker (b. 1947) |
Edvard Grieg claimed nature as his primary muse in composition. Tired of the chaos of city life, he moved out of the bustling port city of Bergen, Norway and built his dream home in the countryside about 12 miles away from the metropolis. From his composition hut, built just below the house, he could look out over the Fjord and gain inspiration from the spectacular view. He and his wife are buried only a few steps away from the still-standing composition hut, where the peaceful scenery continues to inspire future generations. Vöglein ("Little Bird") is among the 66 short works for solo piano that make up Grieg’s Lyric Pieces, published in 10 volumes between 1867 and 1901. The pieces describe a wide array of scenes and imagery and draw extensively on Nordic folk music.
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