Circus Dog

six pianos [9’] 1995.

Commissioner: Piano Circus
Premiere: Piano Circus, Birmingham Symphony Hall, England, January 2, 1995.
Program note:

For a composer, the piano is so often merely a means to an end — the blank sheet on which we write. Focusing on melody seemed an apt way for me to rediscover the piano’s own voice. I owe a debt of inspiration to many pianists and composers, among them Aretha Franklin, Glenn Gould, Sergio Mendes, Theolonius Monk, Nina Simone and Cecil Taylor.