Farewell

Of course you always say farewell to something or someone. (In this case it was farewell to my male partner of 10 years, R.W.) I wrote the piece soon after our breakup in a wistful moment (3 1/2 hours). As I wrote I was feeling neither happy nor sad but almost serene. And because I was writing for my consummate artist friend, I decided to make the piece virtuosic as well. But—and this is a specialty of Hilary Hahn—her virtuosity is always in the service of enhanced expressivity.

—David Del Tredici

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