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I've been in love with this Susan Mutter piece for years. So happy to finally be able to record it with Megan Gale and post it here! “Ages“ is in 5 movements that represent 5 different ages in a man's life. See program notes from the composer below. 00:00 I: Six 03:24 II: Fifteen 05:23 III: Thirty-Four 07:21 IV: Sixty-Six 11:18 V: Ninety-Two Program Notes: “ I was inspired to compose Ages when I contemplated how a man relates to the world around him so differently at various ages in his life. All six year old boys have something in common, as do all 92 year old men! It is what is in common, that I have tried to capture here. In “Six”, for example, I picture a boy wandering aimlessly around his neighborhood in days of yesteryear, imagining whatever comes to him as he encounters various items he finds. At a construction site he finds some boards, perhaps, and he creates a little “home”...or perhaps he finds some fresh mint and decides to try to make chewing gum! At “Fifteen”, he is the rebellious teen – not giving a care what his parents think – wanting to do everything HIS way, and at the same time, with so much energy, he just wants to grab the world in his hand – conquer all heights, and sing his heart out with abandon! At “Thirty-four”, monotony has set ’s stuck in a repetitive job that’s relentless. At the key change, a brighter time appears as he gets a chance to spend some time with his precious 3 year old daughter, but soon after – he must go back to work again. “Sixty-six” is probably one of the most satisfying times in the man’s life. He is a grandfather now, and is retired and can sit back and enjoy the family he has raised, and his grandchildren, too. His heart overflows with contentment and love. At “Ninety-two”, his health and strength are fading, and he is on his deathbed at a hospital. The single notes in the piano are like a morphine drip that is keeping pain at bay for him. As he drifts in and out of consciousness, glimpses of his beloved childhood come back to him, almost taking him completely back to his youth – but then life fades from him...“ ~Susan Mutter 2008 This was recorded at Vanderbilt Blair School of Music in May 2022 by Continuous Motion Productions. Nick Laufer, producer
