Programme Note
Piano Trio was conceived as a lyric
intermezzo to be played at concerts by this arch-19th century combination. It draws on the sound of both the classical trio and the restaurant trio.
During 1968 and 1969 I was fortunate to be composer-in-residence on a Rockefeller grant at Reed College: the rain-forest vegetation in Oregon seemed mysteriously to give rise to more verdant textures, cropping up first in a
Serenade for six players, then in Trio. The piece may be heard as variations; there are several small closed phrases interspersed with fleeting recollections and reminiscences. The counterpoint is mainly elaborative and atmospheric.
—John Harbison