Landscape with Ladyslipper
Landscape with Ladyslipper was commissioned by Maine's Sebago-Long Lake Region Chamber Music Festival in celebration of its 25th anniversary, and premiered on August 5, 1997, in Harrison, Maine, and August 6 in Farmington. Especial prominence is given to the viola and cello parts, played in the premiere by the co-directors of the festival, my old friends Laurie and Jim Kennedy. The title pays homage to a single ladyslipper I found blooming in the woods up above our house. In a sense, it has nothing to do with the music--I had to provide a title for the festival brochure while still finishing up a previous commission. On the other hand, "ladyslipper" suggested images of dancing, and "landscape" hinted at the serenity of the Maine woods, and the complete title, sounding like the alliterative name of a painting rather than a musical composition, had a kind of absurd whimsy--each of these factors was an inspiring presence as I wrote the piece. Landscape with Ladyslipper is a divertimento. Its prevailing good humor is evident in the convivial interactions of the players through imitation and doublings, the recurrent hints of tonality, the syncopations and dancy rhythms, the lyricism, and such features as an oblique reference to Tristan, a sweet little march led by the oboe (my wife calls it the "Danish march"), and markings in the score such as "exuberantly," "ponderous," "scurrying," and, for the final page, "serene."