Song and Dance
Fred Cohen for Currents, University of Richmond, Virginia, March 21, 1997, Richmond, Virginia
November 21, 1999, Boston Conservatory Wind Ensemble, Larry Bell, conductor.
“Song and Dance” was commissioned by Fred Cohen for his Currents ensemble at the University of Richmond. Written during the last two weeks of 1996, it was completed on New Years’ Eve 1997. The work is scored for an ensemble of thirteen soloists: woodwind quartet, brass trio, string quintet, and piano.
The titles of the work’s four movements–First Dance, Sing-a-long, Call and Response, and Last Dance–give the listener a sense of the popular style, or vernacular idiom, that influenced the composition. The titles also suggest a kind of participation asked of the listener; an invitation to sing and dance with the performers.
The phrase Song and Dance can also mean a put-on, something not quite what it appears to be. This “Song and Dance” is partly wistful, partly comic, playfully criss-crossing the border between seriousness and fun.
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The Triumph of Lightness, a concerto for cello and chamber orchestra, Opus 70
Songs of Innocence and Experience, Opus 55
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The Sentimental Muse, a Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra, Opus 45
What Goes Around Comes Around, Opus 40A
Idumea Symphony (Symphony No. 2), Opus 40
The Idea of Order at Key West, Opus 13
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Novelette Arranged for String Orchestra, Opus 1A (unperformed)