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Compositions by Geoffrey Dean

Click on titles in bold to listen. More performance links can be found on the Projects page.

 

STRINGS

     APOLLONIAN RIFFS: A MUSICAL ODYSSEY
       FOR STRING QUARTET / COMPOSED IN 2022
 

                  I.  Triumph at Troy

              II.  Intrigue on Ithaca

             III.  Storms at Sea

             IV.  Phaeacian Festival

        Premiered at the 2024 Illinois Chamber Music Festival

        Each of the four movements “riffs” on a different theme from Homer’s Odyssey. Read more here.

     THRENODY AND OMPHALOS
       FOR CELLO ENSEMBLE / COMPOSED IN 2023

         Premiered at the 2024 Illinois Chamber Music Festival

     THREE IMPROVISATIONS
        FOR CELLO SOLO / COMPOSED IN 2023

                  I.  Bariolage

            II.  Elegy

           III.  Pythagorean

 

          Premiered at the 2024 Illinois Chamber Music Festival

          Each improvisation explores a different type of cello-specific sound dialogue. Read more here.

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     ECLIPSED: IN SELENE'S SHADOW  
        FOR STRING ORCHESTRA / COMPOSED IN 2024

          Dedicated to the School of Logic orchestras at Parnassus Preparatory School

        Eclipsed evokes the spirit of Selene and Helios, the moon and sun of Greek mythology. Read more here.

     NOSTALGIA
        FOR STRING ORCHESTRA / COMPOSED IN 2024

          Dedicated the Parnassus Preparatory School Class of 2024

        Unabashedly sentimental, Nostalgia explores the mixed emotions of graduation. Read more here. 

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     DANCING AT DELPHI: A TERPSICHOREAN TRIPTYCH
        FOR STRING QUINTET / COMPOSED IN 2024

             I.  Paean (Processional Dance)

           II.  Chorea (Ring Dance)

          III.  Ekstasis (Spirit Dance)

 

            Premiered at the 2025 Illinois Chamber Music Festival

         Scenes from the oracle at Delphi, filtered through tango-inspired sounds. Read more here.

     COLONNADES
        FOR STRING ORCHESTRA / COMPOSED IN 2025

          Dedicated to the School of Logic orchestras at Parnassus Preparatory School

     CULMINATION
        FOR STRING ORCHESTRA / COMPOSED IN 2025

          Dedicated to the Parnassus Preparatory School Class of 2025

     LA FOLIA VARIATIONS
        FOR STRING ORCHESTRA / COMPOSED IN 2025
 
PIANO
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     SIGNATURE SUITES
        FOR PIANO / COMPOSED IN 2022​

         Premiered at the 2023 VIVAPIANO Competition in Sofia, Bulgaria

     MUSE MASK DIPTYCH
        FOR PIANO / COMPOSED IN 2022​

             I.  Melpomene, Muse of Tragedy

            II. Thalia, Muse of Comedy

          Dedicated to my father, for his 80th birthday

      (E)MOTION STUDIES
        FOUR PIECES FOR PIANO / COMPOSED IN 2022

               I.  Power Play

              II.  Ups and Downs

             III.  Parallel Motions

             IV.  It Takes Two

 

         (e)motion studies grew out of a fleeting fascination with palindromes. Read more here.

     MUSE SOURCE DIPTYCH
        FOR PIANO / COMPOSED IN 2023

             I. Stream of Consciousness

            II. Hooves on Helicon

     RICERCARCHETA
        FOUR PIECES FOR PIANO / COMPOSED IN 2023

               I.  Ricercarche No. 1

              II.  Ricercarche No. 2

             III.  Ricercarche No. 3

             IV.  Ricercarche No. 4

         Dedicated to the memory of composer Dimiter Christoff

       A set of pieces with a "searching" quality. Read more here.
     MICROMOMENTS
        FOR PIANO / COMPOSED IN 2023-4​

          Premiered by Carson Rose Schneider in Minneapolis

        WINTER BLOOMS 
        LYRIC SUITE FOR PIANO / COMPOSED IN 2024
 
             I. Snow Song
            II. Softly Shining
           III. Liquid Moon
           IV. A Certain Slant of Light
            V. Tintinnabulation
           VI. The Only Other Sound
          VII. Shadow Dance
         VIII. Winter Blooms
          Dedicated to my mother, for her 80th birthday
        Each movement has a winter-themed poetic epigraph. Read more here.
     ASPECTS OF ATHENA 
        A SUITE FOR PIANO / COMPOSED IN 2024-5
             I. Birth of Athena
            II. Sibling Rivalry
           III. Regret
           IV. Arachnophobia
            V. Serpents
           VI. The Olive Tree
          VII. At the Agora
         VIII. Athena Knows Best
          Dedicated to the memory of Constance Ford
          Aspects of Athena was completed during a trip to Athens in March 2025. Read more here.
     VERACIOUS
        DANCE SUITE FOR PIANO / COMPOSED IN 2025
              I.  No Cap: Step by Step
             II. De Veras: Flamenco
            III. No Filter: Pas de Chat
            IV. Truth Bomb: Urban Dance
             V. Facts: Tango
            VI. Called It: Barn Dance
           VII. Dare to Dream: Horo
          VIII. Leap of Faith: Saute Arabesque
            IX. Just Being You: Boogie 
          Dedicated to my daughter, a veracious dancer
        Dancing is a veracious activity, where both authenticity and precision are highly prized. Read more here.
CHORAL
     PERSEVERE! 
        FOR SATB CHOIR / COMPOSED IN 2025​

         Text: excerpt from Beethoven's Letter to a Young Student

        INVITATION 
       FOR SATB CHOIR / COMPOSED IN 2025​

       Text: excerpt from Rostislav Dubinsky's book, Stormy Applause

     ALWAYS REMAIN (MUSIC)
          FOR SATB CHOIR / COMPOSED IN 2025​

        Text: excerpt from W. A. Mozart letter

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Image: Apollo playing the lyre, ceramic artifact in the Archeological Museum at Delphi (seen March 2025)​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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apollonian riffs / all site contents copyright 2025 geoffrey dean

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