The Summer Triangle

for clarinet, violin and piano (2015)

The Summer Triangle is a portrait of my stay in the Utah desert as represented by the nightly procession of a seasonal asterism. The five movements of the piece, played together without pause, reflect on individual aspects as well as more general sentiments experienced during that time.

I. The Veneer of Spring

II. Isosceles (a triangle having two equal sides) brings the piano into the piece where it forms a triangle of sorts with the others. Throughout the remainder of the work, the piano acts in opposition to the clarinet/violin duo. In Isosceles, this tension is marked by stark contrapuntal opposition and a jagged rhythmic profile.