Peter Dickinson

Celebration Trio

Peter Dickinson's Celebration Trio (2009) for Clarinet, Violin and Piano. The trio comprises of three pieces - Fugue, Lullaby and Dance. ' These three pieces derive froma story by the British poet John Heath-Stubbs (1918-2006) called The Unicorns. Two unicorns are discovered ina remote part of Africa. The two countries Eastland and Westland want to obtain specimens for research sothey send out competing expeditions. The Westland technique is to lure the unicorn with a young girl singing - the Lullaby. The Eastland team uses a dancer so that theunicorn impales itself on a tree - the Dance. Both teams are successful in capturing a unicorn but the mythical animals fall in love and escape happily together in the end. In the story, the Fugue celebrates the eventual capture of the unicorns but it is placed first here as a celebration of the remarkable career of the Verdehr Trio. Since theybegan in 1972 they have commissioned over 230 works, have performed all over the world and made recordings. Asa result they have virtually created the repertoire forthe medium of violin, clarinet and piano. I much enjoyed writing my American Trio(Hymns, Rags and Blues) for the Trio in 1985; they played it all over the world andhave recorded it; and this Celebration Triois a tribute to their musicianship andphenomenal enterprise ' - Peter Dickinson.