Score
Emperor Penguin Dance : for violin, cello, piano & double bass / Stephen Lalor.
Library shelf no. 785.2814/LAL 1 [Available for loan]
Work Overview
The Emperor Penguin Dance is based on a fragment from the Rondo (3rd Movement) of Beethoven's Emperor Piano Concerto - at the request of the commissioner, as it is one of the dedicatee's favourite pieces of music. She sent me a recording she had made from a particular spot on his old vinyl record of the piece where the record got stuck and kept repeating the ascending scalic run heard at the opening of my piece, and later woven into the texture. After the opening flighty, jerky runs up the scale imitating the stuck record, the piece then settles down into a gentle rocking 3/4 - very whimsical and also recalling the lapping of waves. So the word "Emperor" was involved from the start, and when I think of it there is either the obvious royal association or Emperor Penguins that come to my mind. As there are sections in the piece where there are almost comical runs of notes in which I can imagine penguins waddling quickly in a dancing-like mass towards the sea - it seemed a perfect fit.
The Emperor Penguin Dance can be played as a Piano Trio (violin, cello, piano) or with the added (optional) Double Bass. This flexibility was requested by the commissioner. In initial discussions with the commissioner, the piece was originally to be a String Quartet. The piece also exists in this format.
Work Details
Year: 2024
Instrumentation: Piano, violin, cello, double bass (optional).
Duration: 5 min.
Difficulty: Medium
Dedication note: Dedicated to Grahame Wilson
Commission note: Commissioned by Rebecca Murray
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