Latest Feature: PnOVA American Piano Series Volume 2

FELT | Striking Works for Solo Piano

Matthew Durrant
Rachel Lee Guthrie
Amir Zaheri
Richard Pressley
Byron Petty
Ron Nagorcka
Robert A. Baker
Classical
NV5987
Release Date: February 10, 2015

YouTube Sampler | Amazon | iTunes | ClassicsOnline | Spotify

BYRON W. PETTY

Recent Selected Compositions

2003 – 2011

{Piano, Organ, Solo & Chamber, Orchestral}

Download/View New Catalog in PDF format

Piano:
2010:
To My Yamaha for Piano Solo (3:40) $5.00
2009:
Connecting for Solo Piano (4:00) $5.00
2006:
Clay Bodies for Two Pianos (6:00) 2 parts / $12.00
Captive Dreams for Solo Piano (1991-2006) $10.00
(A compilation of short piano pieces of moderate difficulty in various styles composed for students and special occasions).
2005:
Intangibles for Piano Solo (3:45) $5.00
2004:
Prelude & Fugue for Piano Solo (5:00) $6.00
2003:
Retrospectives for Piano Solo * (4:00) $6.00
Mystery Nocturne for Piano Solo * (3:00) $5.00

Organ:
2009:
Actionable Impulses (3:00) $6.00
2004:
Prelude & Postlude (4:50) $6.00

Solo & Chamber
2011
—on quiet days for Two Flutes free
By the Minute for Solo Flute (2:20) $3.00
Gofu No Uta for cello & piano (4:00) $10:00
From Grapes Come Wine for Flugelhorn & Piano (4:30) $10.00

2010:
Moorings III for solo flute free
Symposium for oboe, clarinet, & bassoon (7:00) $10.00
Organica for solo viola (5:00) $6.00
Chosen Moments for Woodwind Quintet (8:00) $20.00

2009:
Nucleation for Violin, Viola, & Cello (6:30) $12.00
Opening Vistas for Flute & Cello (4:00) $6.00
Truckers in the ditch for soprano & flute (1:40) $4.00
Atlanta Express for oboe, violin, viola, cello, & piano (4:40) $12.00
Stories to Impress & Charm for Flute & Clarinet (5:00) $6.00
Announcement for Solo Horn (1:10) $3.00
Quaint Notions for French Horn & Piano (7:00) $8.00
Music on the Waters for Soprano, Flute, & Piano (text: Lord Byron) (5:15) $8.00
Casual Notes for Two Flutes (5:25) $6.00

2008:
Six Preludes & Etudes for Solo Flute (18:00) $12.00
Abbreviations for Solo Cello (3:05) $5.00
Three Mentions for Violin, Viola, & Cello (1:30) $4.00
Distant Actions for Flute, Violin, & Cello* (7:00) $12.00
Upon Reflections for Solo Guitar (6:30) $6.00
Sun Patches for Flute & Guitar (6:40) $6.00
A Clear Path for Flute & Piano (2:40) $4.00
Bright Spots for Flute Quartet (4:30) $10.00
Smiling Valleys for two French horns & Piano (3:00) $7.00
Ohio Wandering for Soprano, Flute, & Piano (6:30) $12.00
Ohio Adventures for Various Combinations of Fifes and Drums (6:30) $8.00
Phantom Encounters for French horn & Piano (7:30) $10.00
Descending Phrases for Solo Trombone (4:30) $5.00

2007:
21.6 for Solo Flute (3:30) $5.00
Slight Angles for Two Flutes (3:30) $6.00
Minutes for Brass Quintet (5:00) $10.00
Small Incisions for Clarinet & French horn (8:00) (2 copies) $12.00
Distractions for Flute & Piano* (6:00) $8.00

2006:
Moorings II for Solo Flute * (5:00) Free
Nights When Stars Are Red for Flute & Piano (4:00) $6.00
Shared Spaces for Alto Saxophone & Piano (3:00) $6.00
Spell for 2 Flutes, 2 Clarinets, & Piano (2:00) $5.00
Under a Spell for Flute, Clarinet, & Piano (6:30) $10.00
A General Disturbance for Flute, Cello, & Piano* (5:30) $10.00
String Quartet # 1 (Lost Thoughts) (9:30) (Sc & Pts.) $18.00
Serenade for 2 Clarinets, Bassoon, Trumpet, Violin, Viola, Cello (6:30) (Sc&Pts.) $20.00
*(Mythical Moments Version II – the flute part for A General Disturbance is transcribed for violin and the two trios combined as one work.) (9:10) $15.00

2005:
Antler Dance for Solo Clarinet (4:00) $5.00
Expressions for Flute & Guitar (12:00) $15.00
Misdemeanors for Flute & Clarinet * (5:30) $6.00
Ushering the Spirit for Violin and Piano (5:00) $6.00
Beyond Supervision for Clarinet & Trumpet (8:30) $12.00
Designs for French Horn & Guitar (6:00) $8.00
Traveler’s Tales for Violin, Clarinet, & Piano * (6:00) $12.00
Mythical Moments for Violin, Cello, & Piano (4:00) $10..00

2004:
Three for Thee for Flute & Piano * (11:30) $16.00
Launchings for Trumpet & Organ (6:30) $8.00
Fire Henge for Flute & Organ (7:30) $10.00
Expansions for Flute, Clarinet, & Contrabass (9:30) (Sc.&Pts.) $12.00

2003:
Passages for Oboe, French horn, & Bassoon (5:15) (Sc.&Pts.) $8.00
Ach! How to be! for Voice, Violin, & Clarinet (8:40) (Sc.&Pts.) $12.00
Simple Visions for 2 Flutes (4:00) $5.00
Trio for (3) Flutes (3:00) $5.00
Mysteries of the Orchard for Solo Flute * (3:00) $4.00
Mysteries of the Orchard for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Piano, & Prepared CD * (7:40) (Pts.&CD) $8.00

Orchestra: (full purchase prices)
2008:
Majestic Passage Overture for Orchestra (4:00) (Sc. & Pts.) $100.00
Nocturne for Orchestra (6:00) (Sc. & Pts.) $125.00

2006:
Moon Shadows for Small Orchestra (2:30) (Sc.&Pts.) $50.00

2005:
Crowd Control for Orchestra (5:40) (Sc.&Pts.) $150.00

2004:
The Flute of Night of Never for Orchestra (13:24) (Sc.&Pts.) $200.00

2003:
Gestures from the Bridge for Orchestra (6:30) (Sc.&Pts.) $100.00

Vintage Selections

1990 – 1999

{Piano, Harpsichord, Voice, Solo & Chamber, Orchestral}

Piano:
1995
Propuntal Displays for Solo Piano (7:22) $12.00
Grand Sonatina for Solo Piano (12:00) $10.00

Harpsichord:
1993:
Three Pressings for Harpsichord (6:00) $$8.00

Voice:
1996:
Wondrous Life for Tenor & Piano (3:30) $5.00
1994:
So Fold Thyself, My Dearest for Mezzo Soprano & Piano (4:50) $6.00
1993:
Then Lightly for Soprano & Piano (3:30) $4.00
From Above for Soprano & Piano (1:50) $3.00

Solo & Chamber Music:
1999:
Into the Sun, Sea, & Moon for Oboe, Clarinet, & Bassoon (2:30) (Sc.&Pts.) $5.00
Celebration for Oboe, Clarinet, & Bassoon (7:45) (Sc.&Pts.) $8.00
1997:
Voice of the Ephors for Brass Quintet (8:30) (Sc.&Pts.) $15.00
Triettes for Oboe, Clarinet, & Bassoon (5:50) (Sc.&Pts.) $10.00
Glenteenassig Rhapsody for Clarinet & Piano (3:30) $5.00
1994:
Introduction and Souvenir for Soprano Saxophone & Piano (7:45) $12.00
1992:
Reminiscence for Flute & Piano (4:40) $8.00
1991:
Trio for Flute, Oboe, & Piano (6:30) $10.00

Orchestra:
1999:
Glenteenasig Sketches for Orchestra (8:50) (Sc.&Pts.) $150.00
Before it happens — for Clarinet & Small Orchestra (6:15) Sc.&Pts.) $100.00

1997:
Rokudan / Arranged for Koto and Orchestra (8:30) (Sc.&Pts.) $125.00
Stirrings for String Orchestra (6:45) (Sc.&Pts.) $75.00
______________________________________________________________________________

ORDER FORM

Name_________________________________________________________________________________________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip_______________________________________________________________________________

Item(s)

_______________________________________________Price___________Quantity_______Subtotal___________

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Allow 10 days for delivery

Mail order form with check to:
Byron W. Petty
c/o Music Department
Washington & Lee University
Lexington, VA 24450
(Allow 7-14 days for delivery)

Compositions marked with an asterisk (*) are available on two CDs titled Traveler’s Tales & Tendrils

Available CDs by Petty at Amazon.com, i-tunes, i-phone, PARMA, ardoclassicalartmusic.com, etc

“Traveler’s Tales” Recent Compositions (2003-2006) Capstone CPS58776

“Tendrils” Navona Records NV5833 / Naxos distribution
(Place this disc in your computer to access Ehhanced Content, including study scores, program notes, bios, etc.)

Byron W. Petty – flutist, pianist, composer, conductor / Lecturer in Music at Washington & Lee University, VA
General Inquiries / Commissions: pettyb@wlu.edu

Byron W. Petty

Selected Solo & Chamber Compositions with Flute

From the 2011 Catalog

2011
—on quiet days for Two Flutes (3:30) free
By the Minute for Solo Flute (2:20) $4.00
2010
Moorings III for Solo Flute (4:00) free
Chosen Moments for Woodwind Quintet (8:00) $20.00
2009
Opening Vistas for Flute & Cello (4:00) $6.00
Truckers in the ditch! for Soprano & Flute (1:40) $4.00
Stories to Impress & Charm for Flute & Clarinet (5:00) $6.00
Music on the Waters for Soprano, Flute & Piano (5:15) $8.00
Casual Notes for Two Flutes (5:25) $8.00
2008
Six Preludes & Etudes for Solo Flute (18:00) $12.00
Distant Actions for Flute, Violin, & Cello* (8:00) $12.00
Sun Patches for Flute & Guitar (6:40) $8.00
A Clear Path for Flute & Piano (2:40) $5:00
Bright Spots for Flute Quartet (4:30) $12.00
Ohio Wandering for Soprano, Flute, & Piano (6:30) $12.00
Ohio Adventures for Various Combinations of Fifes and Drums (6:15) $8.00
2007
21.6 for Solo Flute (3:30) $5.00
Slight Angles for Two Flutes (3:30) $6.00
Distractions for Flute & Piano* (6:00) $10.00
2006
Moorings II for Solo Flute* (5:00) free
Under a Spell for Flute, Clarinet, & Piano (6:30) $10.00
A General Disturbance for Flute, Cello, & Piano* (6:15) $10.00
2005
Expressions for Flute & Guitar* (12:00) $15.00
Misdemeanors for Flute & Clarinet* (5:30) $8.00
2004
Three for Thee for Flute & Piano* (11:30) $16.00
Fire Henge for Flute & Organ (7:30) $10.00
2003
Simple Visions for 2 Flutes (4:00) $5.00
Mysteries of the Orchard for Solo Flute* (3:00) $5.00
Mysteries of the Orchard for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Piano, & Prepared CD* (7:40) (Pts.&CD) $10.00
1992
Reminiscence for Flute & Piano (4:40) $8.00

ORDER FORM

Name_________________________________________________________________________________________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip_______________________________________________________________________________

Item(s)

_______________________________________________Price___________Quantity_______Subtotal___________

__________________________________________________/________________/_____________/___________ ___

__________________________________________________/_________________/_____________/______________

Total________________
Mail order form with check to:
Byron W. Petty
c/o Music Department
Washington & Lee University
Lexington, VA 24450
(Allow 7-14 days for delivery)

Compositions marked with an asterisk (*) are available on two CDs titled Traveler’s Tales & Tendrils

Available CDs by Petty at Amazon.com, i-tunes, i-phone, PARMA, ardoclassicalartmusic.com, etc

“Traveler’s Tales” Recent Compositions (2003-2006) Capstone CPS58776

“Tendrils” Navona Records NV5833 / Naxos distribution
(Place this disc in your computer to access Ehhanced Content, including study scores, program notes, bios, etc.)

Byron W. Petty – flutist, pianist, composer, conductor / Lecturer in Music at Washington & Lee University, VA
General Inquiries / Commissions: pettyb@wlu.edu

Download New Catalog in PDF format

From Navona Records comes an exciting new CD bundle of five previous releases featuring the piano at its most prepared and extended. WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO THAT PIANO? features composers and artists dedicated to finding the most adventurous and compelling sounds that the piano has to offer. Opening with SONATAS AND INTERLUDES IN A LANDSCAPE, composed by John Cage, the virtual godfather of prepared piano, and performed by the virtuosic Kate Boyd, this CD bundle contains one of the most eclectic collections of solo piano music a listener will ever encounter.

Purchase This CD on Amazon

In Memoriam

This recording of “Rhapsody for Armenia” by Byron W. Pettyis dedicated to memory of Dr. Eduard Danielyan (1944-2017), who served as the Editor in Chief of “Fundamental Armenology,” and the Head of the Department of Ancient History at the National Academy of Sciences, Republic of Armenia.

This composition, written at the request of Dr. Danielyan, combines Armenian musical elements woven into Western contemporary style music.

This recording project was made possible by support from the Music Department of Washington and Lee University and Mr. Graham Spice, recording engineer.

CLEMENTI GRAND | Shuko Watanabe

Shuko Watanabe
Timothy Gaylard
Classical
NV5966
YouTube Sampler | Amazon | iTunes | ClassicsOnline | Spotify | Rdio | Naxos Music Library

Shuko Watanabe, piano
Timothy Gaylard, piano
Byron W. Petty, wooden flute

What must it feel like to play an instrument that is one of seven known to exist in the world and is two hundred years old? Pianists Shuko Watanabe and Timothy Gaylard know this feeling, playing works written by Muzio Clementi (1752-1832) on a Clementi grand fortepiano in pieces on the Navona Records release, CLEMENTI GRAND.

The Clementi grand featured on this album was a gift by Dr. Lawrence Smith and his wife Ganelle to the Department of Music at Washington & Lee University in Lexington VA, and celebrates the bicentennial of its production this year. Some of Clementi’s most well-known pieces as well as some lesser-known works are presented, including four preludes from Musical Character Pieces, two of his didactic sonatinas, the famous Sonata in B-flat that Clementi played in Vienna at a contest with Mozart in 1781, two symphonic-sounding four-handed duets, and a rondo for keyboard and flute, featuring flutist Byron W. Petty. Watanabe and Gaylard honor this Clementi grand fortepiano with energy and enthusiasm.

TENDRILS

Byron Petty
Robert Stewart
Peter Homans
Classical
NV5833

Amazon | iTunes | Spotify | Naxos Music Library

Lisa Hennessy, flute; Emmanuel Feldman, cello; Karolina Rojahn, piano
Charles Sherba, violin; Byron Petty, flute; Shuko Watanabe, piano
Beverly Morgan, mezzo soprano
Dinosaur Annex: Cyrus Vance, violin; Anne Black, viola
Michael Curry, cello; Donald Berman, piano
The Virtuoso Strings: Christopher Kendall, conductor
The compositions of Byron Petty, Peter Homans, and Robert Stewart draw from a wide variety of influences, from Haydn to the Second Viennese School and Brahms to Stravinsky. Tendrils showcases the influences and skills of these three composers and highlights their ability to remain classical while utilizing modern concepts such as rotation, continuous development, and lyricism.

Traveler’s Tales has been “OFFICIALLY” re-released (June 6th, 2012) as an mp3 download on Ravello Records under PARMA at Amazon.com.

Purchase Traveler’s Tales

Click to listen to individual tracks

Purchase associated compositions

The youtube video showcases track 5 titled: Misdemeanors.

Traveler’s Tales by Byron W. Petty, Chris Magee, Roger Quigley, Shuko Watanabe, Wallace Easter was originally released in June of 2007 of Capstone Records and is soon to be released with Navon

Composed by Byron Petty. Performed by Jonathan Chapman Cook, February 2014 in Wilson Hall at the Lenfest Center for the Arts at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA. Recording engineer: Graham Spice. Jonathan Cook also played “Quarks and Leptons” on Distinguished Alumni Series, Western Michigan University on November 02, 2013.

Pianist and composer Jonathan Chapman Cook (b. 1984), a native of Michigan and current resident of Lexington, Virginia, will presented a diverse and exciting recital featuring Johann Sebastian Bach’s jovial Italian Concerto, two études by Frédéric Chopin, Cook’s piano étude, the magnificent and haunting Prelude, Chorale and Fugue by César Franck, Scarlatti’s Sonata in D, and Byron Petty’s Quarks/Leptons on October 4th, 2014.

Promotional video for PnOVA Recordings’ volume 2 CD of American Piano Music, performed by internationally acclaimed British pianist, Martin Jones. PnOVA Recordings is a division of Mahin Media LLC.

The video features a live concert performance of the compositions recorded on this CD, in addition to commentary from Martin Jones, Bruce Mahin and the five composers whose works are included on the CD.

The promotional video footage and audio was filmed/recorded by John A. Palmer of Visual Images Media, Inc. The editing was completed by Jennifer M. Barker of Visual Images Media, Inc.

“Gofu no Uta” may be loosely translate as “Song of Protection” with Uta as song and Gofu meaning a talisman or charm of good fortune.

Byron Petty’s wish is that through the performance of this piece, the collective feeling of concern and goodwill toward the Japanese people will provide a spiritual armor against future disasters. Gofu no Uta makes use of a broad range of styles derived both from the folk and court music genres of Japan.

Of course, being composed in the 21st century, there is a modern compositional approach to the source material.

Byron W. Petty, flutist, pianist, composer, and conductor, holds a B.M. degree in flute performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, studying with the renowned flutist Britton Johnson, and has taught at Roanoke College, VA and Southern Virginia University. He is currently a Lecturer in Music (flute) at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA, where he has also taught courses in Composition and Musical Analysis as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Music. Petty has performed as a flutist and concert/chamber pianist at many venues and universities in the Eastern U.S. and Japan. He has served as a judge for preliminary rounds of the International Bartok, Prokofiev, Kabalevsky Piano Competition held at Radford University, VA and for the Virginia Music Teachers Association Collegiate Piano Competition. Petty appears on several CDs performing on the modern flute and Baroque period 1-keyed boxwood traverse flute – available through PARMA Records, Navona and Ravello labels.

From 1995-2002, he was the co-founder and Conductor/Music Director of the Eurydice Community Orchestra of Roanoke, VA. As part of their 20th year Anniversary Celebration, he made a recent appearance with the orchestra conducting his wife, Dr. Shuko Watanabe-Petty in the Largo movement from Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

Petty has served as Composition Chair for the Mid-Atlantic chapter of the College Music Society (1996-1998) and as Independent Composer Representative on the National Executive Committee for the Society of Composers Inc. from 2000 through 2002. Petty was selected as the Virginia Music Teachers Association Commissioned Composer for 1995 and has received commissions from the K. & W. Group Inc, Olin Conservation Inc, Department of Geology of Virginia Poly-Technical Institute, the Toho Koto Society of Washington D.C., Elon University, NC, and the Rockbridge Community Orchestra of Lexington, VA.

Traveler’s Tales, a CD of recent chamber compositions by Petty (2003-2006) is available through Ravello/PARMA Records, Amzon.com, etc. as a download. An enhanced CD, Tendrils, was released in August 31 2010 on PARMA Records’ Navona label distributed by Naxos Records as a physical product and download. His Mythical Moments for piano trio from the Tendrils CD also appears as the first track on The PARMA SESSIONS: a compilation CD featuring pianist Karolina Rojahn available as a download. Another CD, FELT, Striking Works for solo piano on the Navona label includes Petty’s Propuntal Displays for piano – released in February, 2015. A performance of Petty’s Quarks and Leptons for solo piano, played by Johnathan Chapman Cook, is posted on You Tube. Petty’s Extractions for solo piano, performed by internationally acclaimed pianist Martin Jones, appears on the PnOVA label titled American Piano Music Series Volume 2 – released 10/2016. The score and a recording with pianist Shuko Watanabe of Rhapsody for Armenia for solo piano (2016) is scheduled to appear in the May 2017 issue of the government sponsored on-line journal “Fundamental Armeneology.”

Petty will be performing as a pianist April 2017 at the Historical Keyboard Society of North America annual conference, held at the Carolina Clavier Collection, Greenville, S.C.

Shuko Watanabe Petty earned BM and MM degrees in piano performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music of Johns Hopkins University as a scholarship student of Lillian Freundlich and a DMA from the University of Maryland at College Park, where she studied with professors Stewart Gordon and Roy Hamlin Johnson.

Dr. Watanabe is frequently engaged as a soloist, chamber-music performer, and as a lecturer. She has appeared in Japan and throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Mid-West, and Southern United States, at nearly 40 colleges, universities and concert series. Her performances have been regularly broadcast on Public Radio, WVTF FM 89.1 and more recently at WMRA 90.7. She has been a featured soloist with the Elon University Orchestra, Eurydice Community Orchestra of Roanoke, and the Washington & Lee University Orchestra: her repertoire includes Bach’s Keyboard Concerto in D Major; Mozart’s Double Piano Concerto; Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 & No. 3; and the Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No.1. She also served as Director of Accompanying at Washington & Lee University from 1999-2012 and was a collaborative pianist for the “Con Spirito” Concert Series from 1992-2003. In demand as a lecturer on musical topics, especially those related to Japanese contemporary music, her article, “Japanese Music: An East-West Synthesis,” has been published in American Music Teacher, the official magazine of the Music Teachers National Association.

Celebrating W&L’s Clementi Grand Fortepiano’s 200th Anniversary (1814-2014), the recording, “Clementi Grand,” performed together with Dr. Timothy Gaylard was released in the summer of 2014, and is now available on Navona/Parma Recordings. Specializing in contemporary repertoire as a member of ARDO Duo and ARDO Consort, Watanabe appears on Traveler’s Tales on the Capstone Records label [reissued in 2012 on Ravello Records], and Tendrils, on Navona/Parma–distribution by NAXOS. All recordings are also available as MP3 downloads at Amazon and iTunes.

For 2016-17 Concert Season, Dr. Watanabe is engaged to perform programs of “Beethoven and Brahms” at Eastern Mennonite University and Sweet Briar College in September, “Piano Duo of Russian Composers” with her colleague, Dr. Timothy Gaylard, in October (Washington and Lee University), and Beethoven’s First Piano Concert in C Major (2nd Mvt.) with the Valley Chamber Orchestra at Hollins University. For spring of 2017, she will play in a faculty recital, solo piano music by Mendelssohn and Pinto in March (Washington and Lee University) and will appear at the Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Composers’ League and the Historical Keyboard Society of North America.

Dr. Watanabe taught at Hollins University, Roanoke College, Southern Virginia University, and was on coaching staff for Princeton Chamber Music Play Week Virginia. She has been on the faculty at Washington and Lee University since 1991 and currently teaches courses in Applied Piano, Supervised Accompanying, Aural Skills I, II & III and Music Theory II.

The Rockbridge Symphony will close its season on May 12 with two notable “firsts”—the world premiere of Majestic Passage Overture by Byron Petty and a pre-concert preview of the evening’s program with the composer and conductor Mark Taylor. Both the talk (6:30 pm) and the concert (7:30 pm) with be held at the Lexington Presbyterian Church.

Photo of composer Byron Petty by Larry Stene.

A multi-talented classical musician, Byron Petty is equally at home on the concert stage, in the recording studio and in front of a class. Currently a Lecturer in Music (flute) at Washington and Lee University, he holds a BM degree in flute performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University. As half of the ARDO DUO, he has performed with his wife Dr. Shuko Watanabe (piano) throughout the Eastern U. S. and in Japan. Locally, he has made frequent appearances in chamber music programs on the Con Spirito Concert Series of Roanoke, VA. From 1995-2003, Petty was the Conductor/Music Director of the Eurydice Community Orchestra of Roanoke, VA and appeared as a guest conductor of the University-Shenandoah Symphony Orchestra in 2009. As a composer, Petty has released two CDs—Traveler’s Tales (2007) and Tendrils (2010)—and had his work premiered and performed throughout the Southeast, most recently at the University of Tennessee, Tennessee Tech, Counterpoint Concert Series (TN), Marshal University (WV), University of South Carolina at Columbia (SC), Virginia Polytechnic Institute and WVTF FM Public Radio Station Music Salon (VA). On April 25, the Muzika Piano Trio will premiere Petty’s Mythical Moments for violin, viola and piano at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee, WI.

Petty has been the recipient of numerous public and private commissions, but was especially pleased by the Rockbridge Symphony’s invitation. With the view from the Blue Ridge Mountains as his inspiration, he composed Majestic Passage Overture as a cheerful and lively evocation of the pioneers who looked westward from the summits. The Symphony will also perform the overture to Gaetano Donizetti’s opera The Daughter of the Regiment, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor (4th movement) and Ottorino Respighi’s Pines of Rome. The Rockbridge Junior Strings (Central Elementary) and the Rockbridge Youth Strings will join the Symphony’s string section for “Variations on a Well-known Sea Chantey” by Richard Stephan.

Tickets for the concert—priced at $10/adults, $5/students & children and $25/family—will be available at the door and in advance from Fine Arts in Rockbridge, Books and Co., Bierer’s Pharmacy and Artists in Cahoots. Ticket holders are invited to attend the pre-concert talk in LPC’s Brady Chapel (6:30-7 pm). The sanctuary doors will open at 7 pm for the concert.

About the Rockbridge Symphony: In addition to a love of playing, the 40+ adult and youth volunteer members share a commitment to providing the community with live classical music at affordable prices. To that end, they give three formal concerts a year, as well as participate in special fundraising events. They are always eager to recruit new members and are grateful for community support in the form of concert attendance and tax-deductible contributions. For more information, visit the Web site at Rockbridge Symphony

Flutist and composer, Byron Petty, recently acquired a new 8-keyed wooden flute made by John Gallegher (Elkins, WV) after an circa 1835 Rudall and Rose English instrument. This instrument joins another recent purchase of a one-keyed Baroque Boxwood flute after a 1715 Naust made by Boaz Berney (Montreal, Canada). Though a composer of modern music, Petty’s interest extends to all periods of classical music. Plans are in the works for new CDs of Baroque and Romantic period music utilizing these instruments along with period keyboards played by Dr. Shuko Watanabe.

Journal d’écoute / Listening Diary

2010-09-14

BYRON PETTY – ROBERT STEWART – PETER HOMANS / Tendrils (Navona Records)

Un joli disque de classique contemporain, pas particulièrement expérimental mais rondement mené. Robert Stewart (décédé en 1995) a été le professeur et le mentor des compositeurs Byron Petty et Peter Homans, d’où le choix de ces trois compositeurs pour Tendrils. “Idyll” (17 minutes) de Stewart pour ensemble à cordes offre un des moments forts du disque: une pièce complexe et engageante. De Homans je retiens les saisissantes “Three Italian Songs” (chantées par la mezzo-soprano Beverly Morgan). Et de Petty, je retiens “Distractions” pour flûte et piano (Petty lui-même et Shuko Watanabe), ainsi que le trio “A General Disturbance” pour flûte, violoncelle et piano – deux pièces très agréables, lyriques mais riches en surprises.

Translation: A pretty record of contemporary classical music, not particularly experimental but nicely done. Robert Stewart (who died in 1995) was a teacher and mentor to both composers Byron Petty and Peter Homans, hence the decision to bring all three’s music together on Tendrils. “Idyll” (17 minutes) for string ensemble by Stewart is one of the disc’s highlights: a complex and engaging piece. By Homans I’ll remember “Three Italian Songs” (sung by mezzo-soprano Beverly Morgan). And by Petty, my picks are “Distractions” for flute and piano (Petty and Shuko Watanabe), and “A General Disturbance” for flute, cello and piano – two highly enjoyable pieces, lyrical yet filled with surprises.

Original Article

Driving Directions

From I-81:

Exit I-81 at exit 188b (Lexington).
The exit will put you on Route 60 west.
Continue on Route 60 west through Lexington.
Route 60 becomes Nelson Street in Lexington.
As you are about to leave Lexington, the Lenfest Center will be on your left and the parking garage will be on your right.

From I-64:

Exit I-64 at the Lexington, Route 11 Exit.
Proceed south on Route 11 towards Lexington.
After crossing bridge, bear right to Downtown Lexington, business district.
Continue on Route 11 (Jefferson Street) to Route 60 (Nelson Street).
Turn right on to Route 60 west (Nelson Street)
Continue on Nelson Street. As you are about to leave Lexington, the Lenfest Center will be on your left and the parking garage will be on your right.

Parking

The Washington and Lee parking garage, directly across Nelson Street from the Lenfest Center, is the primary parking area for the Lenfest Center and is available to you, free of charge, on the evenings when performances are presented at the Center.

Enter the parking garage from Washington Street directly off of Nelson Street (Rt. 60). After parking in the garage, use the elevator to go to level L. The level is marked “Lenfest Center for the Performing Arts”. The elevator will open at footbridge level allowing you to cross Nelson Street on the walkway above traffic.

The Lenfest Center appreciates your help and hopes your use of the parking garage will make your Lenfest experience safer and more enjoyable.

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The Lenfest Center for the Arts, home of the Department of Theater, Dance, and Film Studies and the Department of Music and Art is a multi-use facility designed and equipped to accommodate a broad spectrum of the performing arts, including theater, musical theater, opera and operetta, choral and band music, dance and performance art in one energizing complex.

Sweet Briar College’s Janet Lowrey Gager Community Concert Series will get underway in the new academic year with a special performance by guests from Washington and Lee University.

“An Afternoon of Beethoven & Brahms with ARDO CONSORT” will be presented at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, in Memorial Chapel. The concert is free and open to the public.

The consort is composed of music faculty members from W&L with Leslie Nicholas playing clarinet, Julia Goudimova on violoncello, and Byron W. Petty and Shuko Watanabe on piano. The first half of the program features Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Andante favori” for Piano Solo and Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 11 for Piano, Clarinet and Violoncello.

The second half will open with Johannes Brahms’ “Andante” from Piano Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 5 and conclude with his Trio for Piano, Clarinet and Violoncello in A Minor, Op. 114.

Petty and Watanabe, who are married, form the core of the consort. They founded it in 1980, soon after graduating from the Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University.

“Shuko and I are ARDO DUO,” says Petty, noting that “ardo” is an Italian word for “I burn.”

“It is frequently associated with passion and desire in the texts of madrigals by the early Baroque Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi. This heightened passion is what we wanted to express in our performances,” he explains.

“The consort aspect is a flexible roster of musicians who we feel share this motivation, usually performers we have known for many years.”

For classically trained Sweet Briar pianist Anna Billias, who is organizing the series this year, the concert program is one reason to look forward to the start of the 2016-2017 Gager lineup. Beethoven and Brahms in the hands of the ARDO CONSORT is all the more reason to plan a Sunday afternoon of classical music, she says.

“We are very fortunate to have musicians of this caliber joining us for this concert,” Billias said.

The Gager Community Concert series is made possible by the generous support of Forrest Gager, in memory of his wife Janet, who served as Sweet Briar’s director of public relations. The next performance will be held Nov. 6.

Original Article

HUNTINGTON — Several pieces of music from flutist, conductor and composer Byron Petty made their world premiere Monday during a concert at Marshall University’s Smith Hall in Huntington.

Petty, a lecturer at Washington and Lee University, spent more than a year and a half composing the music for Monday night’s program titled “Casual Notes.” The 11-piece program was performed by Marshall University faculty as well as a handful of visiting performers.

Petty said the program is quite unique considering how he composed the pieces and who he composed them for.

“All of the pieces were specifically written for the performers who are performing them and for this concert,” Petty said. “That doesn’t happen very often.”

Marshall music professor Wendell Dobbs said special guest performers include classical guitarist Robert Trent from Radford University and French horn player Wallace Easter from Virginia Tech.

“There are some extraordinary individuals outside our institution, and we’re very happy to have them here,” said Dobbs, who played flute in the program.

Petty said he hopes the Marshall faculty will visit Washington and Lee to perform the concert again, but this time in Virginia.

Original Article

Washington and Lee’s departments of music and East Asian languages and literature will present a concert in Wilson Concert Hall at 5:30 p.m. today to raise funds for the victims of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Julia Goudimova, cello, and Shuko Watanabe, piano, members of the W&L music faculty, will present works by Bach and Beethoven as well as Japanese composers.

Goudimova was born in Moscow and has performed in recitals and chamber music concerts around the world. She now teaches cello privately as an adjunct at W&L and performs with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, University-Shenandoah Symphony Orchestra and Rockbridge Community Symphony Orchestra.

Watanabe received her early musical training in Japan, attending the Kunitachi School of Music under Noriko Kanayama as well as studying privately with the renowned Japanese pianist Shuku Iwasaki. She later studied at Peabody Conservatory of Music and earned a doctor of musical arts degree from the University of Maryland at College Park. She is frequently engaged as a soloist, chamber-music performer and lecturer. She has appeared in Japan and throughout the United States. At W&L, she teaches courses in applied piano, aural skills (ear-training and sight-singing) and supervised accompanying, and is director of the accompanying program.

This free concert is open to all and will be followed by a reception of Japanese food donated by the Japanese community in Lexington. Donations will be collected or can be sent by May 23 to Dymph Alexander, c/o Music Department, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA 24450. All donations will be sent to the Japanese Red Cross. Cash and check donations will be accepted. Please make out all checks to “Washington and Lee University (memo: Japanese Red Cross).”

Only seven grand fortepianos built by Muzio Clementi, sometimes called the father of the piano, are known to have survived in the world—and one of them, restored to its former glory, now resides in the Department of Music at Washington and Lee University. Playing that treasured instrument, three faculty members have recorded a CD, “Clementi Grand: His Works, His Fortepiano” (Navona Records), to celebrate that piano’s 200th birthday.

Washington and Lee also owns an 1807 small square piano by Clementi that was more common, smaller, had fewer keys and was much less expensive. Most recordings on Clementi instruments have been made on such square pianos rather than on the rare grand fortepiano.

Muzio Clementi (1752–1832) was an Italian composer who was also a pianist, teacher, conductor, music publisher, editor and piano manufacturer. He was among the first to compose works expressly for the fortepiano.

W&L’s Clementi grand fortepiano is hand-carved, with brass inlay, 7′ 8″ in length. Its 1814 construction is confirmed by the serial number on the instrument. “We can’t identify the original owner, but from the decorativeness and elaborateness it must have been a very wealthy person,” said Timothy Gaylard, professor of music at W&L, who played on the recording.

The other faculty members on the recording are Shuko Watanabe, instructor of music, who played piano, and Byron Petty, lecturer in music, who played flute to piano accompaniment.

The main difference in the Clementi grand fortepiano is the shallowness of the touch, noted Gaylard. “This creates more of a challenge for the modern pianist to be able to control the dynamics, because the differences between the softs and louds are much more subtle,” he said.

“It’s close to the sound of the harpsichord,” added Watanabe.

The Clementi grand fortepiano was a gift from Dr. Lawrence Smith, W&L Class of 1958, and his wife, Ganelle, who purchased it from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1995. Dr. Smith, an amateur musician who collects musical instruments, had the instrument restored to its original state by re-covering the hammers, re-wiring the strings and re-decorating the elaborate cabinet. The Smiths then donated the piano to Washington and Lee to benefit students of music.

“It was very generous,” said Gaylard. “So many instruments in museums are seen but never heard. But this instrument will be used as a learning tool for students, so that when they play Mozart or music of the Classical or early Romantic period, they will know what the sound of the piano was at that time and have an idea of what the composer heard.”

The recording features only works by Clementi, including two piano duets for four hands played by Gaylard and Watanabe. “It’s really exciting,” said Gaylard, “because you get a better sense of the range of the instrument and a fuller sound when you have four hands playing instead of two.”

Gaylard also plays Clementi’s “Piano Sonata in B-flat Major,” which Clementi included in his famous 1781 piano duel with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in front of Emperor Joseph II. “The emperor was aware of Clementi’s fame at that time,” noted Gaylard, “and since the Italian pianist was a bit of a rival to Mozart, the emperor wanted to see them together. It’s interesting to note that the opening theme from the first movement of Clementi’s sonata is also the beginning of Mozart’s ‘Magic Flute Overture,’ composed 10 years later.” There was no copyright law at that time and, as the CD’s liner notes state, no one knows whether this was a direct steal, a subliminal swipe or an underhanded compliment to Clementi.

Also included on the CD are the rarely recorded “Character Pieces,” in which Clementi donned the mantle of six of his contemporaries. Gaylard plays the two composed in the style of Mozart, and Watanabe plays the two pieces in the style of Haydn.

Watanabe also plays a set of sonatinas that Clementi wrote to help his students develop their skills. “Piano students usually play these pieces at some point in their training,” noted Watanabe. “It’s a great teaching tool for them to hear Clementi’s works on this instrument instead of on the modern piano.”

“Clementi Grand: His Works, His Fortepiano” is available at Navona Records.

Original Article

Timothy Gaylard and Shuko Watanabe, pianists

The Music Department at Washington and Lee University presents Clementi on Clementi, a 200th Anniversary Concert with piano works by Muzio Clementi (1752-1832) featuring pianists Timothy Gaylard and Shuko Watanbe on Sunday, September 15 at 3 p.m. in the Wilson Concert Hall. They will play two Piano Duets, Op. 3 No. 1 in C, and Op. 14 No. 3 in E-flat. They will also perform solo works including the Sonata in B-flat, Op. 24, No. 2, four Preludes, Op. 19, Nos. 1-2, 5-6 and two Sonatinas, Op. 36, Nos. 4 & 6. The concert is free and no tickets are required.

A beautiful Clementi Fortepiano of special and historical significance was given to the Music Department by Dr. R. Lawrence Smith, M.D. (class of 1958) and his wife, Mrs. Ganelle Smith. The piano is used as a teaching tool for our students of period music.

The fortepiano was built in 1813-1814 at the Clementi factory in London. Provenance is unknown until 1909, when Arnold Dolmetsch, working for the Chickering Company, stabilized the case, replaced the tuning pins and dampers, and substituted felt hammers for the original leathers. Prior to 1925, it was part of the musical instrument collection of a Mrs. Adrian Hoffman Joline in New York City. She gave her collection to Barnard College (the women’s part of Columbia University) in 1925, where it remained until acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1990. Dr. Smith purchased the instrument in 1995.

Ken Eschete of New Orleans has restored the instrument to the equivalency of the sound and touch it would have had when built, while leaving intact Dolmetsch’s structural changes. Strings were replaced and leather hammers re-installed. John Watson, Conservator of Musical Instruments for Colonial Williamsburg, was consultant in this work. Following the1996 restoration, a concert was presented by Prof. Robin Holtz Williams at Tulane University on September 24, 1996. In the program notes conservator Eschete commented on the craftsmanship of Joseph Hoy, “…it is hard to ignore the message Joseph Hoy is sending us through his workmanship. As conservators, one of our principle jobs is to gain knowledge about the technology of a period by studying the way objects were made. In this restoration, we were constantly challenged to match the workmanship of the original workers.”

Muzio Clementi (1752-1832) was born in Italy but, like other famous musicians, adopted England as his home. He was already highly regarded as a keyboardist, composer, teacher, and music publisher when in 1798 he bought a 45% interest in a failing piano manufactory in London, Longman & Broderip. The company went through several name changes, eventually becoming simply “Clementi & Co.” Clementi utilized his skill and reputation to market his instruments, especially to the aristocracy in Austria, Germany, and Russia, but probably had little to do with design or manufacturing. Following his death, the company’s name changed to that of the surviving partners, Collard and Collard, continuing as such until the factory and records burned in the 1930’s. Clementi’s pianos were considered of equivalent quality to Broadwood’s, and, prior to the establishment of a native piano industry in the 1830’s and 1840’s, were some of the most popular imported instruments in this country.

“Clementi Grand: His Works, His Fortepiano” is available at Navona Records.

Original Article

Byron W. Petty, flutist, pianist, composer, and conductor, holds a B.M. degree in flute performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, studying with the renowned flutist Britton Johnson, and has taught at Roanoke College, VA and Southern Virginia University. He is currently a Lecturer in Music (flute) at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA, where he has also taught courses in Composition and Musical Analysis as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Music. Petty has performed as a flutist and concert/chamber pianist at many venues and universities in the Eastern U.S. and Japan. He has served as a judge for preliminary rounds of the International Bartok, Prokofiev, Kabalevsky Piano Competition held at Radford University, VA and as a judge for the Virginia Music Teachers Association Collegiate Piano Competition. Petty appears on several CDs performing on the modern flute and Baroque period 1-keyed boxwood traverse flute – available through PARMA Records, Navona and Ravello labels.

Petty has served as Composition Chair for the Mid-Atlantic chapter of the College Music Society (1996-1998) and as Independent Composer Representative on the National Executive Committee for the Society of Composers Inc. from 2000 through 2002. From 1995-2002, he was the Conductor/Music Director of the Eurydice Community Orchestra of Roanoke, VA. He was selected as the Virginia Music Teachers Association Commissioned Composer for 1995 and has received commissions from the K. & W. Group Inc, Olin Conservation Inc, Department of Geology of Virginia Poly-Technical Institute, the Toho Koto Society of Washington D.C., Elon University, NC, and the Rockbridge Community Orchestra of Lexington, VA. Traveler’s Tales, a CD of recent chamber compositions by Petty (2003-2006) is available through Ravello/PARMA Records, Amzon.com, etc. as a download. An enhanced CD, Tendrils, was released in August 31 2010 on PARMA Records’ Navona label distributed by Naxos Records as a physical product and download. His Mythical Moments for piano trio from the Tendrils CD also appears as the first track on The PARMA SESSIONS: a compilation CD featuring pianist Karolina Rojahn available as a download. Another CD, FELT, Striking Works for solo piano on the Navona label includes Petty’s Propuntal Displays for piano – released in February, 2015. Petty’s Extractions for solo piano, performed by internationally acclaimed pianist Martin Jones, will appear on a CD PnOVA label titled American Piano Music Series Volume 2 – release date August 1, 2016.

Original Article.

Byron Petty’s Tendrils CD can be found on Amazon.
Byron Petty’s FELT CD can be found on Amazon.
Byron Petty’s Traveler’s Tales CD can be found on Amazon.

November 6, 2016: Dr. Shuko Watanabe and Byron Petty received a Plaque of Appreciation from the Valley Chamber Orchestra (VCO).

Incorporated in 1997 under the name of Eurydice Community Orchestra of Roanoke, the Valley Chamber Orchestra (VCO) provides amateur, professional, and student musicians of Southwest Virginia the opportunity to rehearse and perform orchestral music on a recreational basis for the pure enjoyment of music. The orchestra has been rehearsing and performing at Hollins University since 2003.

The Plague (see image) acknowledges Dr. Shuko Watanabe’s and Byron Petty’s efforts in creating and nurturing the gift of music to the Roanoke valley and surrounding areas.

Byron Petty and Dr. Shuko Watnabe thank you for visiting their site. Feel free to login and leave comments on any feature, market/performance, lecture/performance, or news item.

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On Sunday, November 6, 2016, Valley Chamber Orchestra hosted a round of orchestral works. Dr. Shuko Watanabe and Byron Petty performed the Largo movement from Beethoven’s Piano Concert No. 1 in C Major during the event hosted at duPont Chapel.

In Memoriam

This recording of “Rhapsody for Armenia” by Byron W. Pettyis dedicated to memory of Dr. Eduard Danielyan (1944-2017), who served as the Editor in Chief of “Fundamental Armenology,” and the Head of the Department of Ancient History at the National Academy of Sciences, Republic of Armenia.

This composition, written at the request of Dr. Danielyan, combines Armenian musical elements woven into Western contemporary style music.

This recording project was made possible by support from the Music Department of Washington and Lee University and Mr. Graham Spice, recording engineer.