John Valerio

Synthetic Dances consists of three related pieces characterized by dance-like rhythmic underpinnings that borrow from jazz, pop and Latin music. The title Synthetic Dances comes from the compositional process itself. The pieces are formed from the juxtaposition of harmonically static but rhythmically active blocks of activity.  The synthesis takes place in the combination of these separate elements into a whole piece. The blocks of activity are constantly varied, joined and rejoined in different ways for each piece. This general procedure derives from a compositional method of Igor Stravinsky but is used here in a somewhat different context.  The term synthetic applies not only to the stringing together of separate blocks for each piece but also to the composition as a whole.  Much of the thematic material of each piece is derived from the other pieces and themes or even blocks of activity from one piece refer to those of one or both of the other pieces.  Each piece is synthesized from parts of the others but each piece is wholly different and unique to itself. The instrumentation suggests a Middle Eastern ambiance and the conglomeration of this along with the rhythmic influences and formal procedure make this work a synthetic patchwork of diverse musical genres.