Rowdy Red (The Strutting Ferret)

After a string of Very Serious Compositions on topics like sorrow, the year 2020, and the war in Ukraine, I needed to let loose with something a bit more fun and whimsical. “Rowdy Red (The Strutting Ferret)” is the result. The title comes from the character of the music: there is something very confident, even cocky about it (the “strut”), yet also something a bit absurd about it (the “ferret”), and it made the commissioner think of the (in their words) “horrendous” former mascot of Radford University, called “Rowdy Red.” It should be performed with a lot of style, character, and panache. Dixieland and/or klezmer inflections are welcome. Have fun!