Whimsical Sketches of Fanciful Birds (Preview)

Whimsical Sketches of Fanciful Birds (2012)
I. Inebriated Crows
II. Curious Swallow
III. The Watchful Owl
IV. Waking Swan
V. Short-Tempered Parakeet
The composer writes:
When I was a child, birds fascinated me and I spent a great deal of time learning
about their many varieties. For each species I learned about, I would create imaginary
cartoon-like characters based on them and dream up little stories to amuse myself.
Whimsical Sketches of Fanciful Birds is my recreation of some of those childhood
fancies in musical form.
The opening movement, Inebriated Crows, has the saxophonist and pianist negotiating rolling
contours, with conflicting rhythmic subdivisions adding to the movement’s disorienting
quality. As the movement lurches toward its climax, the improvisation-like saxophone part
incorporates glissandi to produce squawk-like calls, while the piano plunges with increasing
frequency into its lower register.
In contrast to Inebriated Crows, the gently restrained Curious Swallow creates an unbroken air
of mystery. The pianist conjures a backdrop of quiet suspense with a light andantino crotchet
pulse sprinkled with delicate decorative droplets, while the saxophonist’s statements evolve
from initially tentative fragments into longer, more sensuous and expressive passages.
The short third movement, The Watchful Owl, is underpinned by the piano’s soft, irregular
pulse, while the saxophone emerges and subsides with controlled, sustained pitches. Both
instruments climb incrementally towards their upper registers, working with the movement’s
tightening harmonic tension to heighten the state of muted suspense.
PE152 – v