Piano Trio No. 2
Inspired by Baroque dance suites and Caroline Shaw’s Partita for 8 Voices, the Second Piano Trio takes each of its movement titles from a Baroque form. However, each movement has radical departures from its traditional namesake.
The opening Allemande begins in a stately four-beat tempo, but quickly begins expanding and contracting the pulse. It also lacks the traditional attributes of the Allemande like an upbeat or being in binary form. The Baroque toccata was a virtuosic piece for solo keyboard, whereas the Toccata here requires virtuosity from all three players, and features heavy repetition.
The Passacaglia is the most faithful to the original form, presenting a four-bar repeated ground bass in the cello with variations every eight bars. Lastly the Courante takes the literal meaning of the French term: running, and presents a mad sprint to the end.
The Second Piano Trio was commissioned by the Lions Gate Trio, and premiered April 2, 2023 at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, CT.
The opening Allemande begins in a stately four-beat tempo, but quickly begins expanding and contracting the pulse. It also lacks the traditional attributes of the Allemande like an upbeat or being in binary form. The Baroque toccata was a virtuosic piece for solo keyboard, whereas the Toccata here requires virtuosity from all three players, and features heavy repetition.
The Passacaglia is the most faithful to the original form, presenting a four-bar repeated ground bass in the cello with variations every eight bars. Lastly the Courante takes the literal meaning of the French term: running, and presents a mad sprint to the end.
The Second Piano Trio was commissioned by the Lions Gate Trio, and premiered April 2, 2023 at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, CT.