SKU: CY.CC2769

As the title suggests the work dying and dancing for Euphonium solo and Piano accompaniment is in two parts, which are played without a pause between the two.

The first part, an adagio, is not necessarily meant to be evocative of the actual act of passing away, but more perhaps of the contemplation and reflection upon one's life as that time approaches, and particularly of sorrow over regret and disappointment. The unsettled mood of the music reflects this bitterness, and stands in contrast to the expansive peace of the grave, heard at the beginning and end of the adagio.

Dance, with ironic wit, the second part, is the other side of the same coin; perhaps humor of the gallows describes its spirit. At once fatalist and mocking, it brings to mind the words of the ancient teacher Koheleth, The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

I was pleased to compose dying and dancing in 2013 for Mark Kellogg, a superb Euphonium artist and my former trombone iProfessor at the Eastman School of Music.

SKU: CY.CC2703

--Gabriel Faure's Opus 7 is a grouping of three songs written between 1870 and 1878 and then published together almost 20 years later.

The songs are:
--Apres une reve (After a Dream) - Faure's most famous song, text by Romain Bussine
--Hymne - also an ethereal love song, text by Charles Baudelaire
--Barcarolle - a flowing song in 6/8 time from a poem by Marc Monnier

--Mr. Sauer has beautifully arranged these songs for advanced performers and provided English translations of the lyrics for better understanding of the spirit of each song.

--Length of the three song set is about 7 minutes.