Elegy and Variations

Elegy and Variations Now Available for Listening

Here it is -- the culmination of my summer musical studies. This is my first piece for string orchestra. The never-tiring and ever-patient Squirrel Hill Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Meng Chiu-Lei, does the honors here. 
This piece is an Elegy and Variations dedicated to the memory of Dr. William Alexander, my first (and only) music theory teacher from those ancient Edinboro days of yore. Since we both loved the landscape of the lake and its environs, it seemed appropriate to include some nature painting, so I have depicted bats and fireflies. Alexander's sometimes grumpy persona comes out after that in a stormy section that has bullfrog-like sounds in the bass. Then it meanders into a distant key and the main theme gets a more soaring treatment, reflective of Alexander's generosity and good works. The it fades back into the elegiac quietude again in F-Sharp Minor, without ever returning to the C Minor world in which it opened. If you have 12 minutes to enjoy some gloom, stress, and Romantic angst, here it is for your enjoyment. Listen with headphones to hear the full impact of the double-basses.

SUBJECTS: Edinboro, Brett Rutherford, musical works, string orchestra, William Alexander