Two waltzes from the Emmy Award-winning original score to the PBS film Death of the Dream (Farmhouses in the Heartland) – Steve Heitzeg

Composer: Steve Heitzeg

Instrumentation: violin, mandolin, cello, and piano

Duration: Approx. 4 minutes

Date Written: 1999

Premiered: PBS affiliate KTCA-Channel 2 (now TPT), Minneapolis-Saint Paul, MN on 11/24/1999 

Commissioned: Produced by John Whitehead for Afton Historical Society Press and Twin Cities Public Television (now TPT)

Additional Information:  

Two waltzes from the Emmy-Award-winning original music commissioned for the public television documentary Death of the Dream: Farmhouses in the Heartland, a story of America’s rural past and a forgotten lifestyle. Narrated by Linda Kelsey and based on a book by William Gabler, the film traces the evolution of the classic farmhouse — from its humble origins through the high-tech present — and charts the impact that changing economics have had on the lives of Midwestern farm families.

The documentary features readings by poets Robert Bly, Leo Dangel and writers Bill Holm and Paul Gruchow, as well as interviews with farm families. Heitzeg’s score merges classical and folk idioms with its slow waltzes and spacious chords.

Recipient of three additional awards (best writing, audio and videography) at the 2000 regional Emmy Awards (Minneapolis/St. Paul). Death of the Dream has been shown on public television stations across the nation.