Piano Trio No. 1: Elegy
Alex Shapiro
About this work:
(Piano, Violin and Cello).
Total duration ca. 8 minutes (1999)
Published by Activist Music.
One movement work. 8 pages, 8.5" x 11".
Premiered in April 2000 in Bakersfield, CA.
by Donna Fraser, violin; Norma Sexton, cello;
and Charles Badami, piano.
This Elegy was written shortly after the death of my father at the early age of 69, in the wake of his nine year bout with Alzheimer's disease. It is plaintive and lyrical, and although it uses a modern tonal sensibility, there is a romantic, late nineteenth century presence that informs much of the piece. In my mind, this Trio has moments that faintly echo the Brahms trios which my father adored throughout his life. The opening theme in the violin descends in a variety of ways, and the flow of the music attempts to cry out and fight against such decline. The middle of the piece brings a moving cello melody which swells upward and ultimately plays against the violin motive in an emotional plea. The piece ends with stillness, the quiet, lone voices of the instruments, and the acceptance of loss.
Year composed: 1999
Duration: 00:08:00
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Piano Trio
Instrumentation: 1 Piano, 1 Violin, 1 Cello