Twice Shy Ballade

Twice Shy Ballade is a short work written in response to the Seamus Heaney poem, “Twice Shy.” Carlos was exposed to the work of the Irish poet during his time in high school, this piece originates from a version which he completed for his English class at the time. Later revised, this work now features a narrator in the performance of the work, reciting the text of the poem as the pianist plays. In an effort to reflect the beauty of the poem in the music itself, Carlos structured the piece such that one measure of music reflects one line from the text. This effectively means that the music performed by the pianist serves as a translation of the poem that is spoken with it. Beyond that, the music itself showcases sweeping pianistic language, luscious harmonies throughout, and a gentle and graceful tone throughout, all paralleling the poem by Heaney.

Performance Time: 5’15”