Notes:

The first dance given here, Bolero, opens with electrical discharges ejected from the rumbling earth and features a proud baritone melody supported by a tectonic accompaniment. This energy is briefly tamed in a digital middle section before bubbling up from the ground once again in a second wave.

The second dance, Sarabande, suggests the hazy, diluted memory of a dance that once wavered between poise and vulgarity. Clouds of melody and accompaniment emerge, evaporate, and rematerialize in wet, ambiguous shapes.

The third and final dance of the set, Tango, uses constant key changes and irregular phrase lengths to play between affection, danger, and nonchalance. A contrasting middle section recalls the electricity of the Bolero, this time channeling doses of Icarian ecstasy before yielding to the earthbound chorus.

Suite for Piano Four Hands was premiered at the Gene Marcus Piano Camp and Festival by Hope Arthur and Andrew Nesler in 2021 and is dedicated to Hope Arthur.