Richard Danielpour: Urban Dances for Brass Quintet: Ensemble de Cuivres

Written in 1989 for the Saturday Brass Quintet on commission from Chamber Music America. The set of four dances - Riddle Dance, Burlesque, Shadow Dance, and Peripetia - form a snapshot of New York, the city of the composer's birth. The enormous variety of life found in the tight confines of the city are reflected in the quintet's wide ranging dynamics, colors and moods. The work's vigorous rhythms and many vignettes bring to mind a ballet score, and in fact the work has served as a ballet as well as a concert work. Duration: ca. 15 minutes.