Cantabile (1975) is the earliest work on this program and is dedicated to Jannotta’s teacher and mentor, Kurt Frederick. Jannotta composed the piece during his studies with Tom McKinley at the New England Conservatory in Boston. It was influenced by his studies of Arnold Schönberg’s piano pieces and Keith Jarrett’s improvisations, especially The Köln Concert recording.
Joan Schneider gave the European première of Cantabile in 1995 at the Kleines Theater in Salzburg.
Jannotta also used the first motif in 1990 in the stage music of Karlos by Tankred Dorst at the Munich Kammerspiele.
An Uneven Decade (2013) was composed for Jannotta’s seventieth birthday celebration. The piece allows even more freedom for the performer than his Forest and forms a strong contrast to the otherwise strictly organized pieces in the program.
Toccata (2001) In this piece the focus is on chords and on the sparkling effect of their resonances. Jannotta suggests that the interpreter should play as though touching the sounds.
four Jane (2004) was commissioned by Jane Ross, a friend and fellow musician. This is the most jazz-oriented piece on the program.
King Lear Variations (1992/2015)The theme is taken from Jannotta’s stage music for Shakespeare’s King Lear at the Munich Kammerspiele.
Parliamentarians (1989/2015) is a short humorous piece. Canonic passages, clusters, interruptions and dissonant flourishes suggest parliamentarians debating. Originally an ensemble piece, it was composed for the Stuttgart Theatre Academy. The production marked the two hundredth anniversary of the French Revolution.
Forest (1996) was inspired by a walk in the Aubinger Lohe in Munich. At dusk the trees gave the impression of grandeur and patience but did not appear threatening.
