Richard Lane

Suite No. 1

Suite No. 1, written by Richard Lane between his 20th and 22nd year, marks the beginning of the high level music he composed for solo piano.
The five movements follow one soul state after another. Polichinelle: Lane skillfully lets the notes run, essentially in two voices, on a Presto rich in changing meters. Nocturne: A slow movement animated with great emotional delicacy. Berceuse: All of Lane's art is expressed in his mastery of simplicity. Waltz: A moderato 3/4 with rhythmic eighth notes and a clever central passage. Epilogue: An Allegro molto agitato that requires a high level of virtuosic execution from both hands.
Suite No. 1 was the first of four works dedicated to Mary K. Green-Traver (Lane's friend and contemporary at the Eastman School of Music) between 1953 and 1963.