It's a New Year and at this time, we're all supposed to look optimistically to the future, difficult though it might seem with all the nonsense that's going on in the world. So I offer this antidote which is among the most tuneful and hopeful of all my works, especially in the exuberant finale which is probably my favourite fast last movement from the chamber works. I put a copy on my music page, otherwise it can be accessed on Reelcrafter in the normal way https://play.reelcrafter.com/dko22/chamberworks. This second piano trio (don't confuse with the trio for violin, viola and piano which is an early work) has four movements with a scherzo second.
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Hey David very lovely piece, confidently structured and articulated. While it reminds me of some traditional trios, I do hear your own modern sensibilities coming through. It reminds me a bit of Jonny Greenwood's score for Phantom Threads..: I hope you take that as the compliment it's intended to be! Cheers, John
I must admit I'd never heard of Jonny Greenwood and my interest in original film music is generally minimal (with one notable exception-- the score for "Cinema Paradiso" without which the film would have been only half as great as it is). But I did find parts of the score you referred to rather touching at times, though in general quite different from my Trio in spirit as I see it as "Phantom Threads" has a prevailing nostalgic melancholy and my piece is more exuberant for the most part. But I appreciate your having a listen and that you enjoyed the work.
Hi, David - I listened to the entirety a couple of days ago and then parts of it off and on since then. The abundance of very high quality motifs linked with such skillful transions makes this an engrossing listen for me. The work somehow covers the broad spectrum of harmony vocab from Mozart to the present effortlessly, as if 18th, 19th, and and 20th century character were conceived simultaneously. Very good part writing, and I especially responded to the piano scoring. In fact, it astounds me how many ideas are presented in thirty minutes and never once does your treatment fall short. The theme and treatment of it at 20 minutes in always stops me in my tracks. Yea....Bravo! --Ray
Hi Raymond -- I was curious what I'd written about 20 minutes in and I think I see what you're getting at. I then discovered a couple of recent so-called improvements to the piano line around there were done with my brain switched off so I went back to correct them. Harmonically, you're quite correct that my works often include everything from atonality to simple Mozartian cadences, although this piece is perhaps relatively traditional. Anyway, I greatly appreciate your interest and positive response.