Montecito Variation for solo violin was commissioned by Montecito Festival of Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. It was written in honor of the great violinist Ivry Gitlis, who was the featured guest at the festival. Gitlis’s favorite piece was the slow movement of the Bach E major Concerto for violin, and several composers were each asked to write a variation in his honor. My contribution begins and ends with slow evocations of the music, its main part consisting of a variation on Bach’s entire movement, the lyrical slow movement turned into a lively Gigue.
In honor of Ivry Gitlis