Dances Soulful and Sanguine
for clarinet, viola and cello (1990)

15 minutes

Dances Soulful and Sanguine consists of four pieces in each of which a specific mood is established and generally maintained throughout. The first piece is contemplative and of the nature of an improvisation in which foreground thematic material passes from player to player. By contrast, in the second piece all players share the texture on an equal basis with the unfolding of a generally "up tempo" fugue. With the third piece, the relaxed mood of the first is recaptured, however, it is invested with a greater degree of sentimentality. The final piece is a romp, recalling the jazz-like idiom of the fugue but in the manner of a whimsical waltz.

© 2001 Philip Bracanin