Description
A warm and soft atmosphere pervades the piece. The tempo marking – Molto moderato, con liberta e sempre espressivo (very moderate, freely and expressively throughout) favours the effective partnering of soaring melodies of an improvised character in the solo part with the settled and unsettled rhythms and harmonic textures featured in the piano part. The style combines a classical language with the mood of jazz harmonies. The piano accompanies the leaps and rushes in the solo part with a close, somewhat imitative part. If the Vocalise form truly highlights the singing or even vocal qualities of the solo instrument, then the effort of the composer in this piece emphasizes to a high degree the instrumental vocalism, capable of including the warm fullness of the instrument. This is particularly clear in the extended expressive phrases, with the intentionally fierce harshness and irregular groupings in some passages. In the final section the composer recalls in a personal way, a great classic of the jazz repertoire that he has enjoyed listening to many times in his childhood: Ella Fitzgerald’s scat version of Flying Home. In the final bars, the syncopated solo line together with the percussive piano accompaniment bring to a close a short but well articulated Vocalise through it’s varied moods.
