Klezmer-clysmic was composed in the summer and fall of 2018 for the Zinnia trio: Justin Rollefson, Sarah Han and Nathan Arch. The group requested a short work that incorporated elements of klezmer music. I have always enjoyed this traditional eastern European music, feeling a natural affinity with my Jewish roots. The popular work, Freylehk Zainforms the basis for this composition. The tune drifts in and out of focus from a chromatic haze. I imagine my forebears smiling down on me as the rhythmic pulses and elastic tempos swirl around, forming a bridge to the past in the old country. The piece builds to a frenzy, as if the entire shtetl were dancing in celebration.

Recording: The Zinnia Trio: Justin Rollefson, clarinet; Sarah Han,violoncello; and Nathan Arch, piano