Brant Adams

Masque & Bacchanalia

Masque and Bacchanalia' for woodwind quintet and piano is a piece in two large sections. While the piece is not precisely programmatic, the first part suggests a stylized masked ball, sometimes grand, sometimes sinister, sometimes playful. In the second part, the stylish ball gives way to an energetic and often raucous gala, wherein earlier themes interact with new material in a jazz-influenced frenzy. The composition is largely tonally centered and intended to be accessible to the listener. In addition to the jazz undertones of the second section, some passages are reminiscent of Stravinsky and Bernstein, while others are incluenced by so-called 'process' or 'minimalist' techniques. Commissioned by the Oklahoma entry in the Music Teachers National Association's Distinguished Composer of the Year Award and selected as the winning composition.