Interplay for 3 Violins and Orchestra (2002)

In Interplay, I wanted to incorporate a bit of the violin styles one hears in various cultures. Exploring the inter-relationship between folk music and how it might relate to classical traditions intrigued me. As a composer I just start writing and experimenting --sometimes the results are richer than what I imagined. In my sketches, it soon became clear to me that some of the traditional folk music melodies I was incorporating thematically were easily integrating with classical harmonic progressions. These Bach-like chord progressions totally tied into the chord changes of jazz standards. Jazz musicians still cut their teeth on improvising over the same kinds of changes that Bach and his fellow organists created and improvised over centuries ago. It was fitting that Regina be given space to improvise, and coming from a more folksy tradition, Eileen was given some space to stretch out and deliver the heart of her musical roots. Nadja was given a couple of cadenzas in the classical vein, the first of which I wrote with a tongue-in-cheek attitude. She also relished the chance to play in the jazzy sections. After listening to their most recent CDs I discovered that all three delved into a gypsy/flamenco realm as well. This provided the perfect common ground for exciting musical trading, improvising, displays of technical prowess, and playful interaction among the three violinists, before restating the opening theme. I hope you have as much fun listening to this piece as I did writing it and discovering the many dimensions of these three fantastic artists.

Click below to download the full program notes.