Samuel Barber: Excursions For The Piano Op.20

Each of these four short pieces is based on a folk tune or idiom and captures some slice of Americana. The first piece depicts the hustle and bustle of the city with catchy, tricky rhythms, jazzy playfulness, and motoric drive. The second piece, "In Slow Blues Tempo," has a bluesy manner to be sure, but is also sassy and spiky. The third Excursion, a set of variations on The Streets of Laredo, is mainly a lullaby. The final piece (Allegro molto) is a barn dance, somewhat in the spirit of Copland's from Rodeo, but jazzier and more amusingly mischievous.