Trio for vibraphone, cello, and piano, mvt. 1

Mathew Fuerst

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Trio

2017

9 min.

Cello

Keyboards

Percussion

Piano

Pitched Percussion

Strings, bowed

Program Notes: Trio for vibraphone, cello, and piano was written for Dave Hall and Gregory Beaver in 2017. Around the time we began discussions about the work, my wife gave birth to our twin daughters, Mira and Aliza. This piece is the first work I completed after their birth. I decided that I wanted to write a work that expressed my excitement and joy, while at the same time showcasing the virtuosity and expressive beauty of Dave and Greg’s playing. As a result of this, the work has a more optimistic tone to it. The first movement is a sort of modified sonata form: the first musical idea a series of triads and arpeggios presented quickly in asymmetric and changing meters, and the second is a slower, more evenly metered progression. The second movement is a series of variations that had been sitting in my notebooks for many years. It was music I loved, but anytime I tried to incorporate it in a composition, it never seemed to work. I finally came upon a solution with this movement. The chord progression that the variations are based gradually gets gets presented faster and faster until the movement ends abruptly. The last movement is a lullaby I wrote for Mira and Aliza. The trio lasts approximately 25 minutes.
Recording Notes: Live World Premiere Performance Dave Hall, vibraphone Gregory Beaver, cello Mathew Fuerst, piano