Dances from Around the World: Seven Solos in National Styles.

[??] Dances from Around the World: Seven Solos in National Styles, by Christos Tsitsaros, Hal Leonard Corporation (www.halleonard.com), 2007; 24 pp.; $6.95; Easy to Intermediate

This collection of new and old pieces by Christos Tsitsaros offers a range of emotions and styles at the early-intermediate to intermediate level. Within the seven solos, the majority of pieces are intermediate with only two that might be classified as early-intermediate. The book begins with Tsitsaros's "Performance Notes" written in a very personable way. His directions include not just an overall view of the style as found in the corresponding dance, but he tries to invoke musical performances through the use of imagery. It's almost as if he has given us notes from a master class as he asks performers to "bring out the soulfulness," "imagine the sound," or "picture the sun rising." He enlarges the sound palette of pianists by asking them to think instrumentally and to hear the flute in the melody line of the right hand echoed by the cello when the melody is transferred to the left hand.

Of the seven pieces, three have been previously published as part of the Hal Leonard Student Library sheet music solos, and one, "Gypsy Dance," can be found in the new 2008-2010 National Federation of Music Clubs Bulletin as an Elementary 4 required piece. "Little Mazurka" is the easiest at an early-intermediate level matching up with Hal Leonard Student Library Level 4. "Waltz" and "Gypsy Dance" are also published in sheet music that aligns with the Level 5 of Hal Leonard method. To these, Tsitaros added a "Siciliana" in the manner of the second movement of Mozart's Concerto No. 23 in A Major, KV 488, a "Menuet Pastoral" with three distinct voices, a Norwegian Dance inspired by folk tales of sprites and dwarfs, and a Cossack Dance. The haunting melody and a minor tonality of "Siciliana" is a fitting setting for a song dedicated in memory of. Since Tsitaros has been very meticulous about his expression markings, it could be assumed that the pedaling should be observed just as indicated, but the blurring of the melodic line in the "Sicliana" that this created tempted my foot to lift with the line and harmonic changes.

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I would classify the final song, "Cossack Dance," as more of a late-intermediate song than intermediate with its octave leaps, widely spaced chords, phrasing and 16th-note passages at the tempo indicated. Tsitaros paints a carnival picture with this piece complete with stomping, squatting bravura men and hopping, leaping females.

There is a good deal of fingering suggestions along with plenty of musical directions. He uses very specific terms of directions such as "calando" instead of "dim." or "pochiss. rit." instead of "poco rit." The provided metronome markings for the style and flavor of each dance along with the imagery suggestions and detailed performance notes make the composer's intent clear and should allow for a colorful exploration of these seven dance styles.--Lucinda Lear, NCTM, Waterloo, Iowa

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