Mutability for voice and piano

Mutability for voice and piano was inspired by the poetry of Percy Bysshe Shelley. Its three movements, although interrelated, center on the idea of constant change. Their mutual relationship is an old Greek tune that is employed throughout the composition. Appearing mostly in the solo part, the tune is transformed in many ways and dispersed among the string instruments.

In the last movement, echoes of the Funeral March by Chopin captures the mood of the entire composition, which is sometimes sober, sometimes lyrical or dramatic. Mutability derives from a 1979 string quartet that was premiered at Carnegie Recital Hall in New York the same year.