A Gift of Memories

Date: 1992

Instrumentation: fl.ob.cl.bn/hn.trp.trb/2 perc/pno/strings (at least 54331)

Commission: Cleveland Chamber Symphony

Dedication: to my mother

Premiere: 5/4/92 by the Cleveland Chamber Symphony; Edwin London, conductor;
Drinko Hall. Cleveland, OH

Duration: 13′

Publication: contact composer

Reviews: “It is a profound and beautiful work, marked by subtle shadings, shifting color floes, and compelling counterpoint within the percussion battery.” Nadine Hubbs. Perspectives of New Music. Summer 1994

“Marilyn Shrude’s ‘A Gift of Memories’ was a meditation on poetry by William Wordsworth. In one continuous movement, the composer depicted six unique emotions. Yet it was the players who embodied them. Most poignant were the final two, ‘With Tenderness’ and ‘Hesitant and Suspended,’ serene, diaphanous moments stitched together by muted brass and a few simple tones in the piano.” Zachary Lewis. The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH). 3/24/09

Reviews: “interesting unfolding textures and tender ideas…” Donald Rosenberg. The Cleveland Plain Dealer. 9/29/93