Exploring Repertoire - Variations on America by Charles Ives (Arr Daniel Dorff) For Flute and Piano

Over the years, I accept generally admired that added collaborative pianists would allotment their insights into the works they are currently acquirements in the anticipation that it adeptness prove accessible (or at least, insightful) if I ultimately appointment that section of the repertoire. This is the aboriginal chapter of what I intend to be a alternating affair of my writing. Currently, I am advancing a account that is appointed to advertise affectionate music for flute, soprano, and piano. The aboriginal plan that I will appraise is Charles Ives' Variations on "America," abiding for canal and piano by Daniel Dorff. As an added help, I accept begin a individual recording of this adjustment by Pam Youngblood, flute, and Gabriel Bita, piano, that was arise on May 25, 2010. The Variations were composed in 1892 for agency solo. They were premiered that aforementioned year by Ives at the Methodist Church in Brewster, New York. It seems that abounding of the variations were improvised at that time (as against to getting completed) and were accountable to the approval of the adolescent composer's father. At that aboriginal premiere, the polonaise--which was re-inserted as aberration IV--was advised inappropriate. The Variations on "America" would ultimately be orchestrated by William Schuman. The agency agreement is absorbing because it contains some of the ancient examples of Ives' use of bitonality. The abrupt forays into bitonality arise as interludes that abstracted variations II and III and the final two variations. These abrupt interludes were added to the agreement in 1909-10. The plan maintains some of its activity in its aboriginal anatomy because it is the abandoned above plan for agency by Ives. Despite its actual importance, the important sonorities of the organ's registrations are absent in Dorff's adjustment and accomplish the plan rather addled in my opinion.nux time core Regardless of my animosity about the piece, I will be assuming it in just over a month, so I ambition to appraise some of the challenges. Aboriginal is the catechism of key. An agency account is not accessible to me at this time, but it appears that Dorff has antipodal the plan in its absoluteness up one step. Several examinations of the interludes accept been consulted online that altercate the use of the keys of F above and Db above in Interlude I followed by Ab above and F above in Interlude II. Dorff's adjustment places both interludes a accomplished footfall higher. I catechism the call of this, abnormally in application of the appulse that the new tonal areas accept aloft the abstruse aspects of the keyboard part. (As a ancillary note, Dorff's instruments are saxophone and clarinet in accession to his plan as a composer.) Both of the bitonal interludes are presented by piano alone. In the aboriginal agency setting, the use of allegory chiral stops for anniversary key breadth allows the passages to be played finer afterwards banishment the admirers to catechism the performer's adeptness to play! Dorff's advancement is to play the appropriate duke fortissimo while arena the larboard duke pianissimo. While this does abate the abhorrent sounds, it aswell makes the bitonality alone an bookish endeavor rather than an aural experience. Lastly, I yield affair with Dorff's metronome markings. If compared to the Youngblood/Bita recording as able-bodied as recordings of the agency abandoned and orchestrated versions housed at youtube.com, Mr. Dorff's appropriate tempi arise to be a bit extreme. For example, Dorff marks the allegro of aberration V as dotted division agenda = 112 (noting that the allegro is in 3/4). Ives' appearance at this point in the aboriginal agreement suggests his intentions: "as fast as the pedals can go." Such comments acutely advance that Ives adopted accuracy of the sixteenth agenda passages in the lower articulation over speed. I am absorbed by the agency solo, but achievement to never see the canal adjustment afresh afterwards this affectionate recital. Based aloft my time spent with the section and alert to the accessible recording, I acquisition this ambience to be an abortive adjustment with few redeeming qualities alfresco of aberration IV (the polonaise).