Elegy for flute and piano, Op. 119

Lowell Liebermann: Elegy for flute and piano, Op. 119 was written in 2012, originally for clarinet and piano. The piece is dedicated to Dr. Gustave Manasse, the late father of clarinetist Jon Manasse. Dr. Manasse
was a prominent figure in clinical psychology who focused on non-pharmacological therapies for the developmentally disabled.
As the title suggests, the work is "emotionally charged" and structured in three distinct emotional phases: Beginning starts in "plaintive reflection"; Middle passes through an extended section characterized by "increasing tension-and-resolve"; Ending concludes with a "wistful" reprise.
During the period Op. 119 was written, Liebermann was undergoing a significant transition in his academic and professional life. In 2012, he joined the faculty of the Mannes School of Music at The New School in New York City. Upon joining Mannes, he founded the Mannes American Composers Ensemble (MACE), a group dedicated to performing works by living American composers.
By this year, Liebermann was firmly established as a "dean of American neoromanticism," a style that blends functional harmony with polytonality and 12-tone rows used for formal structure. This "neoromantic" label is one the composer has noted critics use as an easy identifier, though he views tonality as an inescapable tool linked to the overtone series.