My Mind's Attic

PROGRAM NOTES:

An invitation to write for solo tenor pan from the virtuosic pan soloist, Jason Baskin, was an irresistible challenge. The title, My Mind’s Attic, suggests a mental attic where a jumble of ideas waited to be chosen and then shaped into six movements. The six movement titles are not quite programs, but they do give the listener a handle for listening: “Flowering Cherry” is about elegant gestures. “Playful” describes the mood and character of playfulness. “Lyrical Clowning” explores the idea of lyrical melodies with a touch of humorous clowning. “Buzz Rattle Sparkle” takes advantage of the pan’s ability to buzz, rattle, and sparkle. “My Clock Runs Strangely” presents incongruous musical gestures that fit together like a clock that runs, but not quite correctly. “Yin Yang” is about opposites.

INSTRUMENTATION:

Lead Pan (C4-D6)