Works for Piano

16. Kluskap, a Micmac Legend for Children, Op. 56 (1997) Kluskap was written for the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival and was premiered brilliantly there with soprano Wendy Neilsen. It is scored for Soprano, Violin, Violoncello, Clarinet, Percussion and Piano. While it is designed for children, it is a fairly complex and sophisticated work that creates some enjoyable challenges for all the performers.

15. Outmusic: Rhapsodic Variations for Piano Quintet, Op. 53(1998) This work was commissioned by pianist John Hansen and premiered with the Penderecki String Quartet in 2001. The subtitle, Rhapsodic Variations for Piano Quintetdescribes the piece fairly well. The piano is definitely the focus of the piece. Outmusictook me a long time to write; I began in it 1995 but did not finish it until 1998. Nevertheless, I think it is one of my more "profound" works.

14. Piano Trio #1, Op. 52 (Swann)(1998) My piano trio was commissioned by Francesca Swann, CBC producer in St. John's. She has always been a strong supporter of my music and as a result I dedicated the piece to her. Hence it will always be known as the Swann Trio. It took me a long time to write the work. What became the second movement was written first and is extremely difficult, especially for the piano, but I am very pleased with the results. It is a little more abstract than my other works but is filled with tension and dramatic aspects. The first movement was inspired by the great C major Passacaglia and Fugueby J. S. Bach. It has received only one performance so far:a brilliant rendering by Kristina Szutor, Allison Black and Theo Weber in St. John's. I look forward to many more performances in the future.

13a. Prelude and Fugue After Bach, Op. 44c (1997) This is an arrangment for Alto Saxophone and Piano of my work Prelude and Fugue After Bach. The piece utilizes the first prelude and fugue from Bach's Well-tempered Klavier. This sound quality of the alto saxophone adds a certain poingnancy to this work.

13. Prelude and Fugue After Bach, Op. 44b (1991) This is an arrangment for Violoncello and Piano of my work Prelude and Fugue After Bach. The piece utilizes the first prelude and fugue from Bach's Well-tempered Klavier.

12a. Prelude and Fugue After Bach, Op. 44a (1991) This is an arrangment for Bass Clarinet and Piano of my work Prelude and Fugue After Bach. The piece utilizes the first prelude and fugue from Bach's Well-tempered Klavier. It has been recorded on the CD: LYRE: Chamber Music for Clarinet.

12. Prelude and Fugue After Bach, Op. 44 (1991) Prelude and Fugue After Bach is scored for Horn and Piano and utilizes the first prelude and fugue from Bach's Well-tempered Klavier. It was written for the Canadian Music Competitions in 1991. I wanted to write a test piece that displayed the lyrical qualities of the Horn more than any virtuosic techniques.

11c. In Memoriam, Op. 43f (1997) In 1997 I was inspired by the talent of Corner Brook flutish Elizabeth Janzen to arrnage the original verion of In Memoriam for flute and piano. The piece is always successful in performance.

11b. In Memoriam, Op. 43d (1991) This is an arrangement for Clarinet and Piano of my work In Memoriam. It has been recorded on the CD: LYRE: Chamber Music for Clarinet.

11a. In Memoriam, Op. 43c (1992) This is an arrangment for English Horn and Piano of my work In Memoriam.

11. In Memoriam, Op. 43 (1991) This is one of my best works. It is scored for Violin and Piano and was written as a test piece for the 1991 Canadian Music Competitions. I wanted to write piece that was difficult musically rather than technically for the Violin. It is also another in the series of pieces written following the deaths of my parents and grandmother between 1985 and 1988. It has been performed many times and is recorded on the CD Of Heart and Homeland by the group Duo Concertante.

10a. The Maiden's Lament, Op. 42a (incomplete) This version of The Maiden's Lament has not been completed yet. This version will be an individual song cycle for Soprano, Oboe (Clarinet/Violin) and Piano.

10. The Maiden's Lament, Op. 42 (1991) Oboist Lawrence Cherney asked me to write this work for Soprano, Oboe and Piano incorporating Newfoundland folksongs. I chose five songs which, together, form a song-cycle in which a young girl meets and falls in love with a sailor-boy then loses him to the ravages of the sea. In place of the oboe, a clarinet or violin can be used. The version for clarinet, soprano and piano has been recorded on the CD LYRE: Chamber Music for Clarinet (available at the Canadian Music Centre). Following the premiere, Lawrence Cherney asked me to rework the piece separating the songs and replacing the piano with a harp (see The Maiden's Lament, Op. 42c). This has prompted me to create four chamber versions of this work: a continuous and individual song-cycle using the piano, and a continuous and individual song-cycle using the harp. Not all of these versions have been realized yet. See the various entries above. Finally there is also a version for chamber orchestra (see The Maiden's Lament, Op. 42d).

9. Lumina Obscurata, Op. 38 (1989) Lumina Obscurata (Eyes that have become dark), for clarinet and piano, is another in the series written following the deaths of my parents and grandmother. It is a difficult work for both performers and is quite a dark piece.

8. The Grey Islands, Op. 33a (1987) Following the premiere of The Grey Islands, I arranged a shorter version of the work for Soprano and Piano.

7. Bacchae, Op. 30 (1983) Bacchae was written for a production of Euripides' play in 1983. It is scored for 3 Clarinets, Piano and Percussion. The music is intended to be performed with either the Greek or English text for the six choruses of the play; there is also some incidental music in the score.

6. Shanadithit, Op. 29 (1983) This work was commissioned by the Victoria International Festival in 1983, a year that celebrated the arrival of Sir Humphrey Gilbert to Newfoundland in 1583. Even though the work was to be premiered as far away from Newfoundland as possible and still be in Canada, I decided to focus on a Newfoundland theme and to create a work based on the tragic extinction of the Beothucks, the aboriginal inhabitants of Newfoundland. Shanadithit was the last of the Beothucks and the work describes and pays tribute to her life and death. It is scored for string trio, woodwind quintet, piano (harpsichord), and percussion. It has been performed many times and usually creates quite a stir!

5. SHaconne, Op. 28 (1983) SHaconne, for flute and piano, was inspired by Corner Brook flutist, Simon Hodgett. It is an early work of mine and relatively simple in the technique required.

4. Aria for Medium Voice and Piano, Op. 25 (1979) This work is a setting of a poem by Newfoundland writer John Steffler. The setting is very simple and the work is not very difficult.

3. Blomidon, Op. 23 (1978) Blomidon, scored for Flute, Trombone, Viola, Violoncello, Piano and Percussion, takes its title from the Blomidon mountain range just outside Corner Brook, Newfoundland. It is quite a descriptive work. A television broadcast of the piece was matched with actual photos of the mountains and it all worked very well.

2. Neachora, Op. 22 (1977) Neachora (Greek for "new land") was the first major composition written since my move to Corner Brook. It is a setting of five poems by the Newfoundland poet Al Pittman and is scored for Soprano, Flute, Clarinet, Horn, Violin, Violoncello, Contrabass, Piano, and Percussion. While still a youthful work, it does contain some interesting and effective moments.

1. Olympians XIV, Op. 14 (1973) Olympians XIV is a setting of the 14th Olympian ode by the classical Greek poet Pindar. While it explores the complex rhythms of the original Greek text, it is also rooted in my version of traditional Greek folk music.