1992 Night Passage
Hot, Red, Cold, Vibrant
1991 Lipstick (ballet)
1990 Hammer Music
1989 Fantasie of a Sudden Turtle
Symphony No.1 Castles in the Air
1988 An Unavoidable Obsession
Waves of Talya
1987 My Friend Mozart
Ebullient Shadows
Deep Flight
1986 Cross Scintillations
Before Infrared
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Road to Memphis (2008)
First Performance

May 10, 2009 Snyder Duo
Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

Instrumentation

viola, piano

Duration

10'

Listen

Road to Memphis (vla pi ver.)

Road to Memphis (vla harpsichord ver.)



Program Notes

Road to Memphis for viola and harpsichord (or piano) 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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