Threeplay
Steve Cohen
About this work:
Threeplay was written in the spring of 2007, at the request of Luellen Abdoo, violinist and artistic director of “New York City Ballet Musicians and Friends,” a series of lunchtime chamber concerts held every summer in Saratoga Springs, NY. Threeplay was premiered on July 5, 2007 at the Saratoga Arts Center, and was played by Ms. Abdoo, (violin) David Calhoun, (cello) and Elaine Chelton. (piano)
Threeplay is built around two three-note motives, A-B-D and E-flat-B-flat-C. These two motives are stated boldly at the beginning of the piece, marked Lento drammatico. A dark, ruminative recitative in the lowest range of the cello leads to a shift from minor to major. The two motives combine to form a new motive, A-B-D-C, and this is heard in a new tempo, Allegro energico. Two new themes are introduced, both of which are formed from the previous material; a sprightly, syncopated theme, (marked giocoso) first heard in the violin, and a more sustained theme, (marked cantabile) first heard in the cello. The piano introduces a motive characterized by a complex rhythmic pattern and constantly shifting chords. Toward the end of the piece, the original two three-note motives are combined as a single motive, marked appassionato. After reprises of the giocoso and cantabile themes, the piece ends with a transformed reminiscence of the stridency of the opening.
Year composed: 2007
Duration: 00:06:41
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Piano Trio
Instrumentation: 1 Piano, 1 Violin, 1 Cello