SKU: PR.144407050
UPC: 680160655519. 9 x 12 inches.
Celebrating 30 years, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society commissioned a work of 20-25 minutes for violin and piano from James Primosch, University of Pennsylvania professor of music. Primosch had originally thought to create a new sonata, but what developed is more appropriately a set of five character pieces, two of which were directly inspired by poems. Five Poems was premiered in May, 2016, and Primosch's thoughts are recorded at his website: https://jamesprimosch.com/2016/05/10/five-poems-premiere/.Upon receiving a commission from the Philadelphia Chamber MusicSociety for a violin and piano piece in honor of its 30th anniversary, myplan was to write a sonata, a term suggesting a relatively abstractdiscourse. But as the piece developed, the movements struck me ascharacter pieces rather than music employing a more “symphonicâ€approach. When specific poems started to attach themselves in my mindwith two of the movements, the overall title Five Poems became clear.The title of the second movement is a line from Susan Stewart’s“Descentâ€, which deals with Aeneas’s visit to the underworld. The musicis alternately fiercely driving and quite still, though tense. RobertFrost’s Nothing Gold Can Stay summons fleet scale passages framinglyrical counterpoint. The remaining movements do not refer to specificpoems, but have titles reflecting their expressive tone. Dreamscape ismusing with an improvisatory violin line over shifting pairs of pianochords. Nightsong is a bluesy lullaby that turns highly dramatic.Vision begins with a closely argued struggle but breaks through tosomething spacious and clear.
SKU: HL.49019164
ISBN 9790220133312. 9.0x12.0x0.184 inches.
The idea to write a horn trio came to the composer (also an acclaimed pianist) after giving a concert with a horn player from the Nash Ensemble, which included the Ligeti and the Brahms horn trios. When the Nash commissioned Watkins to write a new piece, he knew he would write something for horn. The result is an inventive 12-minute work for horn, violin, and piano that alternates driving rhythmic passages with slower, contemplative music. The trio is both lyrical and impelling, typifying Watkins' clear sound. Cast in a single movement, the music maintains a subtle tension throughout, finally building to a climactic finish. A fantastic piece for ambitious players.
