Berceuse (2021)
For violin and piano
Duration: 9 minutes
Commissioned by Emily Popham Gillins
World premiere: March 14, 2021
Soapbox Gallery, Brooklyn (livestream)
Emily Popham Gillins, violin
Jonathan Howard Katz, piano
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This was an unusual case for me of a “melody searching for a piece.” What became the most distinct theme of this work, and what suggested its title, first came to me on its own over a year ago, without context or instrumentation. I eventually decided it should be for violin and piano and began to conceive of a work in which the theme arises several times in response to more turbulent material.
I’m grateful to Emily Popham Gillins, who has been a friend and musical colleague since our undergraduate days, for taking on the commission and premiere of this work, and for those who supported the commission.