Gotham Glory

Having lived and loved in New York for more than 40 years, I thought it time to celebrate the place in my own idiosyncratic way. "West Village Morning" is an appropriately sunny, short work which acts, as well, as a prelude to the ensuing fugue, "Museum Piece". A ten-minute, highly developed work, the fugue pays homage both to old musical forms and the New York's museum riches. "Missing Towers" (referring of course to the World Trade Center towers that the city lost on September 11, 2001) is a mysterious piece. The two voices in continuous canon with each other are my way of recalling those two significant buildings. At the very end, the pianist leaves the keyboard to play, on the inside of the piano, a further expression of vanished glory. The final movement, "Wollman Rink", is a virtuoso extravaganza — a 15 minute fantasy on Emil Waldteufel's "The Skater's Waltz". With cascading runs, arpeggios, and general pianistic fireworks, it stands to test any performer's mettle. This work was commissioned by the Carnegie Hall Corporation and dedicated to and premiered by Anthony de Mare.

– DAVID DEL TREDICI