Il y a longtemps
Garth Baxter, Composer
Listen: Apple Music / Spotify / YouTube
Category: Chamber Music / Violin
Instrumentation: violin, piano
Duration: 5 minutes
Publisher: Alymar Publications
Il y a longtemps is an ultra romantic work for violin and piano based on the aria Long Ago from Act I, Scene III of Baxter’s opera Lily. A secondary melody, also drawn from the same scene, is woven into the piece, allowing material originally conceived for the stage to unfold as an expressive instrumental dialogue.
Written for violinist Nicholas Currie and pianist Diana Greene, the work highlights Baxter’s lyrical melodic style, tonal clarity, and gift for shaping operatic material into intimate chamber music.
“Really, really nice. Immediately recognizable as you. Your style is very clear and honest, and moreover, it is a style, and not just a mish-mash of whatever happens to be at hand. Nicely controlled and directed.”