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SONG FOR PIANO AND MEZZO-SOPRANO (2000) A short and solemn work written in 2000 by Alexandra Fol, Song for Piano and Mezzo-Soprano is a dark, yet wonderful addition to the repertoire. The text comes from the great poet, architect, painter and sculptor Michelangelo Buonarroti's (1475-1564) Sonnet #127. Fol's song proceeds slowly through dense harmonies, and triple versus duple rhythms toward the last few bars, exquisite in their simplicity. As she also does in her Requiem, Ms. Fol extrapolates the rhythms employed in the music from the text she works with. Alexandra Fot's music eloquently enhances Michelangelo's prose of love and loss rather than obliterating them, providing an articulate and concise interpretation of this Renaissance master's work. VIOLIN AND TROMBONE PIECE (2000) The pairing of a trombone and a violin, while unusual, brought together the talents of two of the composer's friends from the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Commissioned by the Newman twins for their high school graduation, the work also provided them with their first opportunity to play together. A daring pairing, the Violin and Trombone Piece plays with glissando and other unifying techniques to create a playful and energetic dance between the two opposing instruments. Full of humor and, especially, irony, the unconventional duo is typical of the composer's manipulation of rhythm and special effects to produce works that are, above all, energetic and fun. REQUIEM (2001) The task of setting this time-honored Mass for the Dead polyphonically (or in this case polyrhythmically) has been a struggle compositionally and emotionally for over 550 years. From early attempts by Renaissance masters to more recent efforts by Henze and Stravinsky, composers have sought to balance their need to respectfully present the sacred text with their need to express themselves in the music. Composed at the age of nineteen, between late May 2001 and July 5 of the same year, Fol's inspiration is not limited to the rhythmic nature of the text, but comes from circumstances surrounding her life as the work was written. She reports that in early May of that year, as classes were winding down at Boston University, she began having vivid dreams depicting her Great-Grandmother who was half a world away in Bulgaria. Troubled by these images, she was anxious to return home to Bulgaria as soon as her class work was completed for the year. Upon arrival back home, her father informed her of her Great-Grandmother's passing. Fol immediately began work on the Requiem she had felt she needed to write since April of that year. Although the composer is not religious, in honor of her Great-Grandmother, who was a deeply religious woman, the work owes much to the dedicatee: "She would have enjoyed such an aggressive piece," affirmed Ms. Fol. Fueled by the natural rhythm at the core of the text, it takes off at lightning speed. With strong undulating rhythms, gaining in momentum, it moves from movement to movement without rest. The opening Requiem movement begins in the strings and when the chorus enters, the declamatory style shoots the words out at the audience, which sets the forceful feel for the rest of the work. The frenzied pace does give way at times, notably in the Lacrymosa movement as well as in the final Amen sections where the use of musical quotation is effectively used. Here, Fol proves her compositional versatility and presents clearly tonal passages surprisingly refreshing in contrast to the shocking and breathless Agnus Dei. Quoting the first fifteen notes of the Lacrymosa from fellow Bulgarian composer, Emil Tabakov's Requiem of 1992-93, Fol's Lacrymosa is a poignant movement, carefully composed, displaying wonderful use of twenty-first century choral writing techniques. The first six measures of the soprano part in the surprising Amen section come from the Methodist hymn, "Lead Me Lord." Alexandra Fol provides an intensely energetic journey through the Requiem Mass. In conclusion, like life, the work is busy, often hurried, changing unexpectedly, and tinged with anger and even some humor. However, like life, this work is too short and densely packed; as her teacher and mentor, Richard Cornell commented, "It is a truly breathless piece." - Samuel Dorf ©2001