Eric Ewazen

On Wings of Song

Mendelssohn's classic art song, 'On Wings of Song, ' set to the poetry to Heinrich Heine, provided the inspiration for the music. The sublime melody has become part of the repertory of musicians of every type--flutists perform the vocal line with the original piano accompaniment, pianists perform Liszt's transcription for solo piano, and violinists play Heifitz's setting for violin and piano. The text of Heine's love poem describes the power of melody to transport a pair of lovers to a magical garden. This sense of music soaring through the skies made a wonderful image, and is so appropriate to the soaring nature of the piccolo. The piece was written for and dedicated to piccoloist Jan Gippo. Orchestra, wind ensemble and piano accompaniments all available from the publisher. (2010) ca. 20'