Trio for violin, cello, and piano (2003)
i Pentagrams
ii Sarabande and Doubles
iii Jubilee
14 minutes
I wrote the Trio for my colleagues John Lindsay and Matthias Wexler. A few years earlier I had written a 30-minute quartet which they performed wonderfully several times with the Potsdam Piano Quartet; I wanted to take advantage of their talent and good will in a shorter, lighter piece. The work is quite straightforward: The first movement takes the title “Pentagrams” not only from its unchanging 5/8 meter, but also from its unwavering organization into five-bar phrases; the challenge was to try to preserve some degree of interest within this uncompromising pacing. The “doubles” of the second movement represent my attempt to imitate the old practice of doubling (i.e., moving twice as fast) the characteristic note values of each succeeding variation; after two such variations, the sarabande returns with interpolated flourishes. The closing movement is a straightforward, exuberant finale.
i Pentagrams
ii Sarabande and Doubles
iii Jubilee
14 minutes
I wrote the Trio for my colleagues John Lindsay and Matthias Wexler. A few years earlier I had written a 30-minute quartet which they performed wonderfully several times with the Potsdam Piano Quartet; I wanted to take advantage of their talent and good will in a shorter, lighter piece. The work is quite straightforward: The first movement takes the title “Pentagrams” not only from its unchanging 5/8 meter, but also from its unwavering organization into five-bar phrases; the challenge was to try to preserve some degree of interest within this uncompromising pacing. The “doubles” of the second movement represent my attempt to imitate the old practice of doubling (i.e., moving twice as fast) the characteristic note values of each succeeding variation; after two such variations, the sarabande returns with interpolated flourishes. The closing movement is a straightforward, exuberant finale.
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