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Duration: c. 12'
1. Montana Morning
2. Dancing Under the Stars
DETAILS
COMMISSIONED by Hat Trick (April Clayton flute, David Wallace viola, Kristi Shade harp).
PREMIERE tour through the greater Salt Lake City region, September 2023.
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer, or direct from Presser.
RECORDING on Bridge Records, via YouTube:
1. Montana Morning
2. Dancing Under the Stars
WINNER, 2025 NFA Newly Published Music award for Mixed Ensemble category.
PROGRAM NOTES
In August 2019, the Hat Trick flute/viola/harp trio asked if I'd be interested in writing a new piece for them. We quickly agreed to talk soon to make plans, then got busy with our 2019-2020 seasons, and then Covid put the brakes on everything. Once the concert and touring world became active again, we met up on Zoom to make plans.
For the performers, timelines and concert logistics were the main topic of planning; meanwhile my mind was racing about needing a concept for this work beyond the fascinating array of sonorities possible with a flute, viola, and harp trio.
As the performers brainstormed logistics, violist David Wallace mentioned having performed at the Big Sky Classical Music Festival at Montana State, and maybe having the premiere there.
I suddenly zoned out briefly, remembering driving across the Big Sky State 30 years earlier with 2 toddlers in the car, and being overwhelmed by the grandeur of the big sky in the daytime, and the clear, twinkly big sky at night. This image instantly grabbed me as a scenario for the trio, and within that first conversation, the work was already conceived as a 2-movement Montana Morning and Dancing Under the Stars.
REVIEWS
"Evoking the expansive landscape and natural wonder of Montana, Daniel Dorff's Big Sky is an American postcard of texture and curiosity. The first movement, "Montana Morning," paints a Copland-esque flat open landscape and mysterious sunrise. The second movement, "Dancing Under the Stars," is a sprightly and frantic dance under the bright stars of the expansive sky. An asset to the flute, viola, and harp trio repertoire, every voice is dynamic and expressive with wonderful interplay, making it a joy to play and experience. This creative and fun work will quickly become any flutist's favorite trio."
– The Flutist Quarterly, Summer 2025
"At the center of the album is a commissioned work by American composer Daniel Dorff. With Dorff's characteristic Americana sense of hope and wide-open spaces,
the two contrasting movements, "Montana Morning" and "Dancing Under the Stars," unfold with a nearly cinematic sweep. Delayed by the pandemic, this splendid
addition to the repertoire is especially welcome."
– Harp Column (Alison Young), January-February 2026
"Theodore Presser Company has published a trio for flute, viola, and harp by Daniel Dorff. Big Sky was inspired by the majesty of the Big Sky state, and it was commissioned and premiered by the Hat Trick Trio (April Clayton, flute, David Wallace, viola, and Kristi Shade, harp). There are two movements with a total performance time of 12 minutes.
The first movement, "Montana Morning," delightfully depicts the awakening of the vast countryside. It is about three and a half minutes and concludes with gentle harmonics on the harp.
The second movement, "Dancing under the Stars," is an energetic succession of dances. It incorporates special effects such as scale glisses, gushing chords, pedal slides, and harmonics. There are meter changes that become more frequent as the piece progresses. Page turns were thoughtfully considered, and several pedal charts are included throughout the harp part. The many pedals are written below the staff."
– Harp Column (Jan Jennings), November-December 2025
"Dorff doesn't provide a description of the music of Big Sky, suggesting that his movement titles provide the only necessary program note: "I. Montana Morning; II. Dancing Under the Stars." With a distinctively American flavour, Big Sky is "music that sparkles and cajoles in its tuneful caressing of the ears" exactly as Fanfare Magazine has described Dorff's compositional style. The first movement is a lovely blend of the three instruments creating a gentle piece that feels fresh, with the promise of a new day. The second movement, Dancing Under the Stars, is longer and for much of the piece livelier than the first. It contains many jolly melodies but ends in a quieter, more mournful, way. The idea of "dancing under the stars" perhaps suggests a freedom evoking a wide array of emotions, from euphoria and bliss to nostalgia and longing. Dorff invites listeners to bring their own meaning to the piece."
– Music Web International (Ken Talbot), October 2024
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