Premiere: 19 October 2013 at Razzo Hall, Worcester, MA
Tracy Kraus, flute; Krista Buckland Reiser, violin; Joshua Gordon, cello; Ian Watson, piano
Duration: 12’
Instrumentation: flute, violin, cello, piano
Performance Note:
The Maiden Pearl was written between June 2012 and June 2013. Its last movement was composed first (for the third annual Rapido! Composition Competition, which, alas, it did not win); the first two movements were added the following year.
When I started The Maiden Pearl in 2012, my wife and I were the proud parents of a 2-month-old named Lydia and I wanted to somehow acknowledge her in my new piece. Accordingly, I utilized a little song that my wife had created for our daughter as the basis for this piece.
At the same time, I found myself listening to a fair amount of music with a folk element and that influence, combined with the rustic quality of Lydia’s tune (which is, appropriately, in the Lydian mode), led to give The Maiden Pearl an essentially straightforward, unassuming quality that is unique to my music.
The first movement is something of a reel. Several melodies are heard individually before they combine and an ominous drumbeat in the piano takes over. In contrast, the second movement, “Berceuse,” is a mostly serene lullaby. Here, an expansive opening flute melody alternates with a slightly brisker section featuring Lydia’s melody.
The final “Dance Variations” are a bit more formalized: they begin with a gymnopedie (mostly in a 5/4 meter) and a very off-kilter waltz. The third and final variation, though, returns to the stomping, lusty energy of the “Introduction”: the best description of it that I can think of is as some kind of cross between a jig and a hora.
The work’s title is a translation of Lydia’s first and middle names, and I’m especially tickled that the label would also make a good name for a pirate ship. It goes without saying that The Maiden Pearl is dedicated to my daughter.