Colin Matthews

Three Part Chaconne

In the first part the strings spell out a version of the chaconne (a continuously repeated motive) in octaves while the piano plays improvisatorily against them; the second (and longest) part is a slow melodic crescendo and decrescendo in which the chaconne theme passes from instrument to instrument: the piano does not enter until the mid-point; in the third part the piano turns its first-part improvisation into a toccata-like presto. The combination of string trio with the left hand only of the piano was not specifically influence by a one-handed pianist (although hearing Leon Fleisher in recent years has been inspiring – he gave the first American performance of this piece in Washington in March 1992) but is, rather, a solution to the notorious difficulty of achieving balance within the ensemble – although I am very aware that a number of composers have solved that particular problem with ease!
Three-part Chaconne lasts around nine minutes, and was commissioned by the Nash Ensemble with financial assistance from IBM UK Ltd.
Colin Matthews