Faculty Tuesdays

Program notes

Dancing With The Shadow

Eleanor Alberga (b. 1949)

Note from Daniel Silver:

It is a privilege and honor for us to share the music of Eleanor Alberga with you this evening. This is the premiere performance of an updated version by the composer, who generously allowed us to have full access to the score nearly two years ago, and stayed in touch as we weathered the cancellations of so many concerts during the worst of the public health crisis. While the five movements of Dancing With The Shadow most certainly speak for themselves in absolute musical terms, the metaphor of unity wrapped up in the inception of this work seems all too fitting as we gather to make music in person again, something as many have noted, that we never wish to take for granted.

Note from the composer:

Dancing With The Shadow was commissioned in 1990 for Lontano as a 30-minute piece for dance in five movements. It was choreographed by Sue MacLennan for her dance company and the premiere was performed at The Place in London, United Kingdom. There is a recurrence of material linking the movements and the ensemble expands throughout the work; the first movement is a duo, the second a trio and so on, culminating in the final sextet. The title suggests the conscious acceptance of the darker side of the human psyche in order to create transformation and unity in the individual.