Piano Trio (2011-2015)
Duration: 37:00
Instrumentation: violin, cello and piano
Notes:
My Piano Trio is a large-scale work in four movements. The first movement is a kind of prelude, taking a few simple ideas that are developed and sped up and slowed down until it explodes into a break-neck coda. The second movement begins with a simple song played by the piano alone, followed by a hypnotic middle section that builds to a dramatic climax before the tune returns. The third movement is a scherzo based on an alternation of 5 and 7 beat measures: 5/4 and 7/4 in the A section, and 5/8 and 7/8 in the B section. The last movement is a large set of variations on an original theme consisting of simple major and minor triads.
The interplay between simple chords and chromatic, non-tonal ideas is central to the entire piece. At several crucial moments in the piece, all 24 major and minor triads appear in succession and the 12 variations of the final movement are each centered around a different pitch.
