Written in 2019 for Andrew Pelletier, Catherine Likhuta's Dreams of a Wombat is an unaccompanied horn work in three movements: Dream Dancing, Sleep Walking, and Dream Big. The composer's horn catalogue gives an approximate duration of ten minutes, making it a substantial solo selection for a recital without an accompanist.
The movement titles open the door to an imaginative performance, contrasting dancing and dreamlike imagery with a more forceful conclusion. In her Australian National Academy of Music recital notes, hornist Emma John describes the finale as particularly rhythmic and virtuosic. That combination calls for confident rhythmic delivery as well as a clear change of character between movements. With the horn carrying the performance alone, phrasing, silence, and tonal contrast become especially important interpretive tools. This is contemporary solo repertoire for players ready to shape an extended unaccompanied performance, rather than a beginner's character piece.
Watch the performance by Carla Blackwood on YouTube.
Written in 2019 for Andrew Pelletier, Catherine Likhuta's Dreams of a Wombat is an unaccompanied horn work in three movements: Dream Dancing, Sleep Walking, and Dream Big. The composer's horn catalogue gives an approximate duration of ten minutes, making it a substantial solo selection for a recital without an accompanist.
The movement titles open the door to an imaginative performance, contrasting dancing and dreamlike imagery with a more forceful conclusion. In her Australian National Academy of Music recital notes, hornist Emma John describes the finale as particularly rhythmic and virtuosic. That combination calls for confident rhythmic delivery as well as a clear change of character between movements. With the horn carrying the performance alone, phrasing, silence, and tonal contrast become especially important interpretive tools. This is contemporary solo repertoire for players ready to shape an extended unaccompanied performance, rather than a beginner's character piece.
Watch the performance by Carla Blackwood on YouTube.