Leo Ornstein - 17 Waltzes, SO 400-416

17 Waltzes is a set of semi-independent works written and published during the later life of the composer Leo Ornstein. The dances synthesize tonality and atonality in various passages, often within the same piece. As a result, some of the Waltzes are late-Romantic, some are Impressionist, some are Modern (Futurist, as called during Ornstein’s debut) and others a combination thereof. During the more recent period of Ornstein’s output, the cluster chords are no longer as bushy and copious as before; the tones are distributed more sparsely and with more consideration in comparison. Throughout the entire set, there are recurring devices, among which include the 2-1-3-2 motif (used as early as 1918 in “A la Chinoise” SO 60), the anticipatory 2-1-1 motif, and reliance on quartal harmony. Some of the Waltzes also bear the rhythmic features of Mazurkas. Miscellaneous Notes: The 4th and 6th waltz are more or less fully tonal. The 6th waltz employs the semi-obsolete Landini cadence. The 9th waltz is progressively tonal in that it begins on a C-sharp minor (Phrygian Dominant) and ends on an A-sharp minor The 10th waltz is in D-sharp minor. The piece can be arguably classified as Dorian due to the appearances of the raised sixth, especially in the coda. The 11th waltz contains a passing, or even inadvertent, echo of "Wild Man's Dance" at the inception of the second theme. With less cannibalism of course. The 12th waltz has some thematic material in common with “A Morning In The Woods”, as well as features the “À la Chinoise” motif. The 15th is, to arguably a greater extent than the 11th, a fellow "Valse Sauvage". Date: 1958-1980 Catalogue: Severo Ornstein 400-416 Order: Waltz No. 1: 0:12 Waltz No. 2: 1:55 Waltz No. 3: 7:58 Waltz No. 4 in C Minor: 13:28 Waltz No. 5: 17:05 Waltz No. 6 in E Minor: 22:09 Waltz No. 7 in F Minor: 24:27 Waltz No. 8: 28:35 Waltz No. 9 in C-sharp Minor: 31:47 Waltz No. 10 in D-sharp Minor: 37:23 Waltz No. 11: 40:06 Waltz No. 12: 43:01 Waltz No. 13: 45:20 Waltz No. 14 in B-flat Minor: 48:12 Waltz No. 15: 50:30 Waltz No. 16: 53:46 Waltz No. 17: 55:51 Performer: Arsentiy Kharitonov on piano Note: This channel does not own the score or audio, and they are only used for non-commercial purposes. Score: Woodside, CA: Poon Hill Press, 1990. Catalog S-400. https://imslp.org/wiki/17_Waltzes%2C_...