First Performance
May 10, 2009 Snyder Duo
Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY
Instrumentation
viola, piano
Duration
10'
Program Notes
Road to Memphis for viola and harpsichord is commissioned by the Allemagnetti Duo. Maggie and Minnie Snyder grew up in Memphis. Although the Synder sisters no longer live in Memphis they continue to have a special spiritual tie to it. Memphis is a strange and unique place. It is one of the most influential cities of the 20th Century in the development of popular music and culture. Although I have been associated with Memphis all these years I never really consciously used musical material from Memphis. When Maggie approached me with the idea of creating a work for them containing elements of Memphis music I was really excited. I travel a lot between Memphis and Istanbul—yes, many people find it a fascinating combination—and thought that somehow combining these two parts of my world in a more concrete way would be an exciting, fresh, interesting challenge. Although I use my Turkish side with other ingredients all the time, this is the first time I am doing it with Memphis influenced sounds.
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