Work
Four New Year's Preludes
for clarinet and harp
About
Four preludes composed on the eve of the new millennium in December 2000. The first prelude is a short piece in folk style (subsequently enlarged upon as movement four of A Little Suite for Yuji and Rieko for violin and piano); the second is an arrangement of the traditional Japanese folk song 'Sakura Sakura', and is dedicated to Trish Fagan and Owen Cameron on the occasion of their marriage in December 2000. The third prelude is more spacious in feeling, composed entirely on the white keys of the piano, while the fourth is the liveliest piece of the set, and is based on a Chinese folk song; the original melody is heard at the very end of the piece.
The first performance of Preludes one to three was given by Donald Nicholls, clarinet, and Helen Webby, harp, at an outdoors performance in the Hamilton Gardens Festival of March 2001.
Commissioned note
Composed for a performance at the Hamilton Gardens Festival
Dedication note
to Linda Park
Contents note
Can also be performed as 'Three New Years Preludes' by omitting the fourth movement