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) |
Pole Mountain Suite was inspired by my frequent excursions into the National Forest east of Laramie, Wyoming. First Light recalls the quality of the first down rays filtering through the changing aspen leaves, magical and elusive. Old Happy Jack Road is my dogs’ favorite trail. It winds along a waterway filled with ducks and through the trees, whose many resident squirrels scold and tease (chasing these “squeakers” is a favorite canine activity). Mountain Stream depicts the dual qualities of serenity and alien wildness of the mountain waterways. Autumn Sky again features the main character of this suite—the light—as it changes from cold and foggy to bright sun and then fades to dusk.
Notes by Bonnie McLarty. Bonnie McLarty (b. 1983) is a composer, arranger, pianist, and teacher. She holds a Master of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Wyoming, where she studied piano with Theresa Bogard and composition with Anne Guzzo. She is currently pursuing a DMA in Composition at the University of Kansas, where she studies with Forrest Pierce. Ms. McLarty endeavors to create music that both is intelligent and emotionally compelling. Notable influences include Shostakovich, Copland, ethnic traditions from around the world, and the innovative synthesis of classical, traditional, and popular idioms by performer-composers such as Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, and Chris Thile. She is particularly inspired by the strength of spirit in the compositions of fellow women composers, from Fanny Mendelssohn to Jennifer Higdon and Gabriela Lena Frank. |
