Serenade in D

Description

Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, Double Bass — Identified by Aaron Copland as perhaps his most ‘Stravinskian’ work, the Serenade in D balances the neo-Classical impulse for formal order with a rhythmic astringency more akin to the Stravinsky of the early Ballets. From the beatific opening Adagio, which seems to be ‘fast’ music inspected in slow-motion, to the offbeat-driven Allegro that follows, the Shapero’s beloved formal procedures are cunningly and masterfully deployed in the service of engaging, virtuosic ensemble writing.