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Program
note for Without Fanfare
Without Fanfare (1994) was commissioned by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for its 100th anniversary. The instrumentation is for a full complement of woodwinds, brass, and percussion. Beginning with soft, low woodwind chords, the piece builds slowly to a climax over the span of four minutes. The compositional means by which this is accomplished is that of expanding variations, in which a few events elaborate into a slightly longer sequence, and this into a still longer sequence, and so on. About two-thirds of the way through the expansions go into reverse. This complementary contracting process foreshortens the material even as it continues to proliferate, and Without Fanfare closes on a transformed version of the opening.
Fred Lerdahl
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