Trio for violin, 'cello, and percussion

2010, 10-15 minutes

Trio was written for the Music10 composition workshop in Blonay, Switzerland. I have been working for quite some time to pare down my notation to the bare minimum that the performers will require in order to perform a piece that sounds composed and not improvised at random. In Trio, I leave a lot of space to the performers to decide things like the length and placement of each note, the number of repetitions of a figure, and articulations and dynamics while providing signposts that allow them to stay together by listening to and watching each other. The result is a complex game of listening, responding, and cueing amongst the musicians, and also a sense of danger, of performing without a net, that should filter into the sound of the work.

Press

Allan Kozinn in The New York Times: " Nissim Schaul’s Trio for violin, cello and percussion (2010) made its points less noisily but nearly as powerfully. You could hear a hint of Feldman here. Mr. Schaul’s sounds are spare and whispered, with a dissonant but compelling edge that keeps you fascinated."

Score

If you are interested in a score and parts for the Trio, please contact Nissim.

Comments

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Performances

July 1, 2010: World premiere by Matt Albert (violin), Agnieszka Kolodziej (cello), and Yu-Chun Kuo (percussion) at the Hindemith Foundation in Blonay, Switzerland.
Septemebr 18, 2010: US premiere by New Music Raleigh as part of sparkCon at the Flanders Gallery in Raleigh, NC.
June 7, 2012: Performed by Ensemble Interface in Buffalo, NY as part of June in Buffalo.
February 1, 2013: Performed by Cadillac Moon Ensemble at Firehouse Space in Brooklyn, NY.>/li>