I"m delighted to be sharing this CD with an old friend and colleague, John Corigliano. And we are both, I think, delighted by the resplendent interpretations of Goldina and Loumbrozo. Gazebo Dances (1972) was originally written as a set of four-hand pieces dedicated to certain of my pianist friends. I later arranged the suite for orchestra and for concert band, and it is from the latter version that the title is drawn. The title Gazebo Dances was suggested by the pavilions often seen on village greens in towns throughout the countryside, where the public band concerts are given on summer evenings. The delights of that sort of entertainment are portrayed in this set of dances. As the title implies, Kaleidoscope is a colorful mosaic of changing symmetrical patterns, some infused with a ragtime feel, others highly lyrical in content. It received its world premiere at the Spoleto Festival (Italv) in 1961 by pianist Stanley Hollingsworth and Morey Ritt.