Penrose

String Trio

Programme Note

Penrose is a brief study for string trio that explores obsession and compulsion through short processes mixed with my own, romantic intuition.

The piece is divided into three short sections played without pause, each being lead by one of the three performers. The first, ‘Oh Darling! Don’t get sentimental...’ is focuses on the violin. It contains a rising phrase that grows increasingly tense as more notes are added, but always ends with a sweet descending, emotional set of falling thirds. This builds until the whole ensemble is infected by the tension and the objects they have obsessed over in the course of the section begin to distort.

The second, ‘Pure Crow II – in memoriam’ is a re-writing of a short string quartet written after a close friend died. The violin and viola swirl and shimmer through harmonic rotations and ever-fluctuating rhythms, whilst the cello sings mournful objects around them.

The final section, ‘Hôtel du Lac, Tunis’ uses the brutalist structure of the eponymous structure to create a musical form full of sinking consonance, as the viola sings an ever-shortening song, over the drones played by the remaining players.

Penrose was commissioned by my dear friends Freya, William and Josephine for the 17th edition of their concert series Listenpony. It was premiered at The Crypt on the Green, London, by Apartment House on 28th January 2019.

Liam Mattison (London, Jan 2019)