Little Suite was written for the Crane Chamber Orchestra at the request of Chris Lanz. There are four movements, each unique in character, yet sharing motivic material. The suite is intended to be light and playful on the whole. I have always found certain humor in dance forms.

I. Scherzo Psycho is a fast dance movement in an arch-like ternary form. The outer sections consist of disjunct melodic material over a regular ostinato in the percussion. The middle section is a loud and raucous dance framed by explosions in the timpani.

II. Elegy, in contrast is a very slow movement that plays on antiphonal textures between soloists within the orchestra and the whole ensemble. This movement is based on a section of another work of mine, Duo Sonata, for clarinet and alto saxophone.

III. Pizzimezzo is a very short, quick and playful dance for pizzicato strings, that employs multiple stops and glissandi.

IV. Metallidance is a fast, driving movement that is reminiscent of hard rock and heavy metal music with its use open fourths and fifths imitating sonorities of distorted electric guitars throughout. The movement is also rhythmically and dynamically driven and shifts between assymetrical meters and a funky four-four. Like the Elegy, this is also taken from another work of mine for solo cello, Metallicellissimo.

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