American Terpsichore

I battle with traditional instrumental combinations - e.g. string quartet, piano trio - feeling that they carry so much historical baggage, it is difficult to effectively convey new music which reaches far enough beyond their legacy, yet does not snub or disregard the benefaction of wonderful music which allows these ensembles to endure. For me, it was the legacies of form which nurtured this problem. My response was to lay out a wide range of musical materials with contrasting styles, then concatenate medium-size sections in which the materials would cohabit to form large structures. The first movement ('Spin Alley') is in three progressive sections, followed by two inter-twined, occasionally simultaneous movements ('Fine Art and Garage Bands'). American Terpsichore was written for Vaganza, the new music ensemble at the University of Manchester, who premiered it at the 'My Fellow Americans' concerts in Manchester, England in November 2008, sponsored by the American Embassy in London. American Terpsichore is on Métier CD MSV 28543, performed by the Fidelio Trio (Darragh Morgan, Robin Michael and Mary Dullea) with violist Cheryl Law.