Herz an Herz

Frederick Viner's Herz an Herz for Piano Solo.

Herz an Herz, as the title implies (heart to heart), is a love duet. Two distinct voices, characterised through their respective male andfemale vocal registers, negotiate a warm, heartfelt melody through a loosely strophic form. Initially the voices sing in turn, each section - or verse – led predominantly by one. Each time their lines entwine, virtuosicflourishes ascend the keyboard, interrupting to render them silent again. It is only after one particularly tumultuous episode that the true duet appears: Out of the murky resonances of the lowest ‘A’ emergesthethrobbing chords and impassioned vocal lines from Wagner’s famous duet, O sink hernieder, Nacht der Liebefrom the second act of Tristan und Isolde. The ‘singers’, now reconciled,come together for one final verse before a fleeting memory of the beginning gently ushers in the end of the piece.

Herz an Herz was awarded 1st prize in William Howard's Love Song Composing Competition and was premiered on26th April 2017 at Hoxton Hall, London, by William Howard.

Duration: 5 minutes