Composer’s Note:

The Serenade is a 20 minute work in one movement. It was composed in 1990 for cellist Maxine Neuman. The piece has the character of a novel compressed into a short space. A brief introduction in a serious vein is followed by a motoric allegro containing a lyrical second theme; this leads to a dream-like, songful nocturne, followed by a boisterous series of dance episodes; the opening gestures from the introduction then return become a sustained, serious final episode.