"Dances of Greeting" by Norman Bolter
(Notes by the Composer)
DANCES OF GREETING, composed in 1995, was
designed specifically to 'clear the air' in order to make room for a warm,
happy greeting to be delivered and received. This 'clearing the air'
technology was used in Ancient Egypt and Ancient China in order to disperse
any 'atmosphere' that had been created beforehand by others, thereby providing
a fresh, clean ecology in which the work at hand could be conducted...
"DANCES OF GREETING represents, to me, the model
opening work for a recital. It immediately engages the attention
of the audience and invites them into the personal world of the performer.
A tour-de-force showpiece that also carries with it airs of innocent
simplicity, it has the remarkable effect of preparing the listener for
all the pieces that will follow while at the same time allowing the soloist
to express a variety of 'wlecoming' moods and colors. The atmosphere
created in the concert hall at the conclusion of the piece is stunning
- a moment I shall never forget."