Concerto Serenade

Composed during the summer of 1964 at the Aspen Music Festival, performed by students under the direction of Leonard Slatkin. The composer writes: “The first movement has much the feel of a Mozart string divertimento. The 'distant relative' of the second movement was Richard Wagner, and there are hidden quotations of his work throughout. The short scherzo movement, which leads to a solo lament, eventually lands upon a light-hearted rondo, unashamedly in G major, a compositional ploy that drew criticism in its time.”