Three American Nocturnes (2012)

This set of three nocturnes portray three American landmarks at night.

The first nocturne evokes Chicago, Illinois, or as it is known in some hip-hop circles, Chi-Town. The night starts quietly as some street performers gather around in a street. The music becomes more rhythmic and improvisatory as the hip-hop tones envelope the street. At its highest moment, the musicians suddenly end their jam session and depart quietly, leaving the street corner to the night itself.

The second movement transports us to St. Joseph, Michigan. The sinuous St. Joseph river arrives to Lake Michigan as a full moon lays its reflection on the water. The shimmering, but ecstatic quality of the music is accompanied by fluid designs in one of the pianos, all within a very flexible (almost rubato) performance of the melody. This movement is the composer’s homage to the father of the nocturne, Frederic Chopin.

The exuberant last movement takes us to Miami, Florida. La fiesta has just started. As we hear the sounds and chords from the first movement as faded memories, vibrant salsa and merengue patterns interact in an invitation to dance while the night is young.