Episodes

Description

Soprano Saxophone, Piano — Episodes was commissioned for Itzhak Perlman for a gala celebration of the 20th anniversary of Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida.xa0 The work was funded by the Florida Arts Council and Ray and Nancy Murray.xa0 The first performance, by Itzhak Perlman and Rohan De Silva, was at Ruth Eckerd Hall on February 21, 2004.Writing for the violin always has special meaning for me — it was my major instrument.xa0 I have written a Violin Concerto, a Double Concerto for violin and cello, Partita for solo violin and string orchestra, and many chamber works in which the violin plays a prominent role.xa0 And it was a special pleasure to write knowing that Itzhak Perlman would be playing the world premiere of my piece.Episodes is in two movements, marked Arioso, a song-like movement calling for a rich singing sound; and Vivace, a dance-like and blazing second movement. xa0Throughout its distinguished history, the violin has been one of the prime celebrants of both aspects of our humanity.xa0 Episodes offers a musical salute to this dual nature of the violin in a mutual exploration with the piano.I made the version of Episodes for Soprano Saxophone and Piano at the suggestion of saxophonist Jeff Heisler, who helped in the preparation of the work and gave the world premiere performance.xa0 I dedicated this version to Jeff and his saxophonist colleagues. Zwilich has transformed her Episodes, originally written for the violin of Itzhak Perlman, into a welcome addition to the soprano saxophone repertoire, in collaboration with rising star Jeffrey Heisle r. It was only recently, in 2002, that Heisler received the 25th Annual Downbeat Student Music Award, launching him into world recognition, and now, while pursuing his doctorate at Bowling Green, he i s working with Pulitzer Prize winner Zwilich to secure a new contemporary work for his instrument! With a rapidly-filling resum?, Heisler adds another entry - his own premiere of Episodes in March, 2007. The work consists of two short movements, total duration 11 minutes, for two accomplished musicians.