Gaslight Square 2

It’s often a composer’s experience that the idea planted in one piece may also germinate unexpectedly in another, which is how Gaslight Square II, a seven-minute scherzo for piano duet, grew from a brief study of boogie-woogie style in Gaslight Square I for solo piano. So, in addition to this jazz-derived element that is developed and extended in the more ambitious piece, there’s also a set of little canons shared between the players, and a wistful melody heard in the setting of haunting four-part counterpoint.

Players of Grades 7 or 8 standard and above will find Gaslight Square II not only hugely enjoyable to play but also a valuable study in duet textures that require their interaction in a variety of characteristic ways.

Duo Antithesis premiered Gaslight Square II at the Ruglander Wasserschlosse in Bavaria, Germany in July 2005, and the work has been broadcast on Bavarian Radio.