Jenni Brandon - Dog Tales for Soprano, Flute, Clarinet, and Piano

Soprano, Flute, Clarinet, and Piano

I. We Live to Run
II. Thirteen Ways of Looking at Mona, Part I
III. Dig (Chloe)
IV. Thirteen Ways of Looking at Mona, Part II
V. This is a Good Place
VI. Ode to a Golden Retriever

Dog Tales tells the stories of beloved family dogs, but truly speaks to the universal theme of relationships, both with our pets and world around us. Often sweet and funny, these touching pieces are a testament to the love for man’s best friend and how these relationships positively affect us each day.

Composer’s Notes
Dog Tales was commissioned by the Cincinnati new music ensemble Conundrum (Mary Elizabeth Southworth-soprano, Danielle Hundley-flute, Marianne Breneman-clarinet, Philip Amalong-piano) and was premiered by them in November 2009. They are all avid dog lovers and wanted a work that told the stories about their beloved pets.

In setting out to write this work, the members of Conundrum provided me with stories, pictures, and anecdotes about their four-legged friends. I then passed these wonderful collections onto my poet/writer friend Bobbi J. Nicotera who then created the amazing text for this work. What I think is remarkable about the text is it not only captures these dogs in prose, but also speaks of a more universal theme of relationships and our interaction with the world around us, both with our pets and other people. Often sweet and funny, these touching pieces are a testament to the love for man’s best friend and how these relationships positively affect us each day.