Five Bagatelles

Program Notes

Five Bagatelles (2007) is a set of miniatures paying tribute to five 20th-century composers.

I. Fugue (Homage to Benjamin Britten) A gentle piano cadenza opens the work as themes from each movement are heard. As the piano fades, the homage to Britten begins with the entrance of a lilting fugue subject in the violin. The ensemble develops this subject in imitation before coming to rest during a short, reflective, chorale.

II. Ostinato (Homage to Bela Bartok) In this movement the piano plays repetitive ostinato figures, while the two string instruments are pitted against one another: the violin plays double-stopped chords, while the cello plays pizzicato.

III. Romanze (Homage to Aaron Copland) The central pillar in this piece, this wistful Romanze references the intimacy and lyricism inherent in many of Copland’s works. Initially the violin and cello each play alone with the piano, but by the end all three instruments come together to sing the reflective melody of a slow folk-tune.

IV. Rondo: Cadenza (Homage to Henri Dutilleux) This movement’s flourishing gestures and dark chorales make reference to Dutilleux’s colorful, post- impressionistic, style. Standing opposite the second movement, here the cello plays lyrical lines and chords, while the violin plays pizzicato.

V. Chorale (Homage to György Ligeti) This movement aims to explore unconventional textural realms. Using layered scales and extended techniques to obfuscate the natural timbral independence of the instruments, a six-note motive in the piano gradually evolves until the final chorale, when all three players join together before ebbing away slowly into silence.

— Daniel Temkin