It's Alright

Humor plays a prominent role in the musical works of Randall Davidson, and that is certainly the case with his light-hearted, five-hand work “It’s Alright” heard tonight. Davidson looks to explore the humor of cramped positions throughout; he even coached one performer to “use her hips and have fun!” when performing this piece. “It’s Alright” is permeated by an ostinato-like figure which starts by setting the swing tempo in the bass register. A series of descending motives in the highest part disguise the fact that the overall range is gradually rising until . . . the primo player stumbles off the edge of bench, having sought a high D that the modern piano cannot provide! That player then migrates to the other end of bench, and this tug-of-war continues until all three players end up back where they started.

(c) Jason Stell