The title Petroushskates combines two ideas that are related to this piece. One refers to Stravinsky’s Petroushka and the opening Shrovetide Fair scene which is very similar to the opening of my piece. The celebratory character and the busy colorful atmosphere of this fair provides one of the images for this piece. The other is associated with ice skating and the basic kind of flowing motion that is inherent to that sport. While watching the figure skating event at the recent winter Olympics, I became fascinated with the way the curving, twirling, and jumping figures are woven around a singular continuous flowing action. Combining these two ideas creates a kind of carnival on ice – a possible subtitle for this piece.
featured on these lists
Approaching a Canon: 3-6 Players Approaching a Canon All Listed Works Chamber Music. Keller earsense supplement
Petroushskates
(for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano)
Duration: 6 minutes (approximately)
Composed:
1980 (age 41-42)
4 recordings,
4 videos
5:40
Da Capo Chamber Players, Joan Tower, piano
5:57
Eighth Blackbird
6:21
Playground Ensemble
6:26
Contemporary Enclave, James Ogburn
glossary
- chamber music, Kammermusik [G], musique de chambre [F], musica da camera [I], musica cameralis [L]—"Classical Music" for a small ensemble, generally 8 or fewer players with a canonical emphasis on 3-6 players. explore
- Pierrot ensemble—chamber ensemble comprising flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano, often percussion and sometimes with voice named after Schoenberg's pioneering work of 1912, Pierrot Lunaire. For a list of works for Pierrot ensemble on earsense, see here.. wiki.
- quintet, quintette [F], quintett [G], quintetto [I]—an ensemble / work for 5 players, the typical examples being string quintet (with second viola or cello), piano quintet or woodwind quintet