"Appalachian Suite is a four-movement work commissioned by and dedicated to Jeffrey Powers, who is currently the horn professor at Baylor University and principal horn of the Waco Symphony Orchestra. he premiered it in February 2006 and has recorded it for release on MSR Classics. This well-prepared publication includes blank pages to minimize page turns, program notes by the composer, and a brief biography of the composer, who describes himself as 'primarily self-taught composer.'
The four movement programmatic movements, Maggie Valley Snowfall, Braving the Storm, Oceans of Starlight, and At the Summit, were inspired by Richard Strauss's Alpine Symphony, as is evident in the opening melody, which recurs in the coda of the final movement. Overall, the homophonic work features very conservative traditional harmonies only occasionally colored by an unanticipated added pitch or abrupt shift; however, Mr. Baldwin (or his notation software) writes enharmonic spellings of conventional harmonies; e.g., B major goes to Gb major instead of F#), which I think will bother some performers. The texture changes in the piano (from a palette of minimalist motifs, rhythmic homophony, and rhythmic subdivision) sustain interest behind the lush , romantic melodies in the horn, which stay on or below the treble staff with very rare exception. the piano writing, while nicely varied, is not particularly demanding, e.g., all of the fastest mood motifs lie in very comfortable patterns. Rhythmically, the melodies are enhanced by uncomplicated syncopations that give them direction. The trickiest rhythm appears frequently in the last movement (Allegro vivace) where the horn has a cross rhythm (three quarter notes against the two dotted-quarter beats).
Powers' testimonial on Baldwin's website indicates that audiences have appreciated this work. I believe it will be especially attractive to students not only as an interesting and contrasting addition to a full recital program in its entirety (approximately eighteen minutes), but also for the presentation of individual movements. Even a fairly young student might enjoy performing the third movement (approximately 4.5 minutes), because it has the accessibility of a lovely popular song and the range is limited to two octaves, gb to f#. Other performers will enjoy exploiting the richness of that middle register, and will be attracted to the New Age and programmatic aspects of the piece." VT
