Early Years Chamber Music
Just for fun I have put five of my old chamber music pieces here. I started out writing chamber music and then switched my main focus to electronic music in 1999. Although there are some issues with performance and recording quality with these examples, I've included them anyway to share a little background.
The difficulty level of these works range from intermediate to advanced. They were intended as recital or encore pieces.
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La Azucena
La Azucena is a miniature for string quartet or chamber strings written in the distinct style of many Mexican songs. It was composed in the mid 80's when I was seventeen and has since been performed a number of times. It was performed by the El Paso Philharmonic Strings and on public television in Chihuahua Mexico by the Young Musicians String Quartet. The Juilliard Graduate String Quartet-in-residence gave a splendid performance of this piece in a composition class at Juilliard. An 'Azucena' is a kind of tall flower with white or colored petals that has some popularity in Mexican culture. Here, you are hearing me with violinist Irina Korotkova-Salazar, violist Marcela Chavarria, and cellist Drew Johnson.
Lament
Lament is for cello and piano and simply put it is a piece about grief as the result of a death. It starts with an almost ominous feeling in the lower register of the piano and cello. Then suddenly, bursts of anger are described with heavy chords and sharp accents in the cello. Finally, a cathartic release and surrender to the reality as the piano and cello depict the sadness and pain with soaring lines. I know this is pretty deep, but it was appropriate for me to write it at the time. The recording is of cellist Neil Fong Gilfillan. I love the way he played it!
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The Dancer
I didn't have much time when I wrote the first draft of The Dancer for flute and piano. I had to finish it in three days, and it was performed the next week by a friend in her graduation recital. Later on, I polished up some sections and made some edits. It's a recital piece I composed to evoke the image of a modern dancer in motion. It describes the dancer's movements and feelings and has a simple fast-slow-fast form. You are listening to concert flutist Becky Weidman and pianist Ruth Babbel here.
Suite for Two Violins
The Suite for Two Violins is made up of five short movements and made the final round in A.S.C.A.P.'s National Composition Competition. This early 90's recording is from a live performance in New York by two gold medal international violin competition winners Tomohiro Okumura and Junko Chiba. The recording quality is horrible as I found and lifted it off an old cassette tape.. (ugh). I remember when I first heard them play it together live-- I practically stopped breathing! They were amazing!
Harmony & Conflict
This is a clip from 'Harmony & Conflict' for string quartet which is an experiment with contrast. It's pretty technical and somewhat abstract. It is a complex through composed piece where musical 'conflicts' and 'harmonies' are both presented in a variety of ways such as through mood, register, tempo, and tonality. This piece was premiered at the Meadowmount School in Westport, New York and was also performed in Juilliard's Paul Hall. Here, you are hearing me with violinist Irina Korotkova-Salazar, violist Marcela Chavarria, and cellist Drew Johnson.
