for piano trio
Matthew Kube-McDowell, the teenage son of two of my oldest and closest friends, uttered the phrase “spiky epiphanies” during a visit in the summer of 2000. I didn’t think to inquire if he coined it himself or if he was quoting someone else, but I immediately filed it away mentally as a title for a composition.
In this piece I have attempted to capture the rapturous quality that “epiphanies” conjures up for me, with a liberal dose of edginess to provide the “spiky” part. The first idea is a jumpy set of chords in the two stringed instruments, chords that will return frequently in various guises. These chords are the first part of a slow introduction, with several contrasting moods, which then gives way to an extended fast section. Midway during this section, the piano plays a chorale over repeated patterns in the strings. Most of the remainder of the piece combines this chorale idea with material from earlier in the piece.
found on Marc Satterwhite’s CD, Spiky Epiphanies: Chamber Music of Marc SatterwhiteListen
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