[Video] Fantasy for Two Pianos

[JCarey]

I composed this piece in 2009-2010 as a freshman composition major. My primary goal was to create a work that was virtuosic and relatively complex while still remaining widely accessible. While this piece contains many characteristics that would become archetypal of my musical style in the years that followed, this work also tends to give a more explicit nod toward several of my largest influences at the time (particularly French impressionism and jazz).

The work contains two strongly contrasting movements. The first movement, a rhapsodic Reverie, begins with a declamatory introduction, in which the primary motivic material of the piece is introduced in an orchestra-like fashion. After a brief transitional passage, the rest of the movement takes on a lyrical quality, and the stylistic character of the piece becomes strongly reminiscent of Impressionism, particularly Ravel. The second movement (Toccata), by contrast, is dramatically different from the first in terms of both style and temperament, employing the use of driving rhythms, frequent changes in meter, and heavy chromaticism. My influences here were much more diverse, including Prokofiev, Ornstein, Gershwin, and York Bowen, in addition to a variety of non-classical sources, particularly jazz and progressive metal. Despite being an older work, I still consider to this movement to be one of the most exciting sections of music I’ve composed.

As always, any feedback is greatly appreciated. If you enjoyed this, I cordially invite you to take a look at my other Audition Room thread, in which I shared my recent recording/video of Sorabji's Fantaisie Espagnole, which also includes numerous snippets of the new typeset edition of the work I'm currently in the process of preparing for The Sorabji Archive.