CRIME DOESN'T PAY IN THE BIG CITY - CIRCA 1940 FOR SOLO PIANO

Crime Doesn’t Pay in the Big City - Circa 1940 began as a piano sketch and then expanded into a work for Full Orchestra, Alto Saxophone, and Piano, after being commissioned by a community orchestra, and while the composer served as composer in residence.

Crime Doesn’t Pay in the Big City - Circa 1940 For Solo Piano is a full adaptation of the Overture (Act I) from that orchestral work.  The adaptation also includes themes from the orchestral work that portray a range of emotions characteristic of film noir, as well as the crime, the love interest, and the ultimate downfall of the bad guy.

The music concept for Crime Doesn’t Pay in the Big City - Circa 1940 was inspired by the composer’s affection for the 1940s film noir genre and its numerous elements:  The dramatic black and white visual style, the black and white portrayals of good versus evil, the typical disastrous lapses in character and judgment, the hard moral-of-the-story endings, the always doomed love interest, and especially the sweeping emotions conveyed in the film scores.

Level - Advanced and strong intermediate musicians.  Pedal markings are notated throughout, and performance notes are also included inside the cover page of the sheet music.

Duration - Approximately 5 ½ minutes