Sumervar was written in 1988. The title is a short version of “orchestral variations on the medieval round sumer is icumen in.” The theme, heard in the piccolo, oboe and clarinet, is light-hearted and so too are the variations. There are several references to summer, including a little folk song that I learned as a young piano student, and, of course, Gershwin. The piece ends with the theme played backwards in canon, accompanied by the strings, which should sound like an audio file in reverse.
Horn excerpt for auditions can be found at Hidden Horn Excerpts
