Trey Makler

Piano Four-Hands

Composer's Note:

When I was asked to write a short piano piece inspired by the four-hand arrangement of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, I knew immediately what I had to do. The Rite is a special piece to me: it is one of the first pieces of music that I spent time with, digging into it and trying to uncover its deeper workings. The platform for this early exploration was Dr. Neil Minturn's seminar, Ritual in the Ballets of Stravinsky, which I took as a freshman in college at The University of Missouri back in 2013, along with my friends Lee, Holly, and Matt.

Fast forward to 2019: I was finishing my Masters degree at The Juilliard School, and at the end of March the dance department and orchestra were scheduled to perform The Rite of Spring with Martha Graham's choreography. So, I sent out an email and received a warm response: we would all reunite in New York City, catch up, and go to see The Rite together.

get-together was conceived in memory of these events. It is a toast to the bonds that I have formed through Stravinsky, and a celebration of fond reunion. Beyond my own gathering in New York, this work considers the act of reunion that two pianists, sharing one instrument, experience when they come together to play. I draw almost all of my material from The Rite, but it's mostly subtle: stilted rhythms that stumble across overlaid, mismatched meters; insignificant chords and gestures, distilled and transplanted from the original; and the unmistakable opening bassoon solo. I visualized the reunion as a wedge, which is most obvious in the opening as the two players begin at opposite ends of the piano and work towards the center until their hands are crossed. As the opening cascade crumbles, the players strive to play together while somehow missing one another, with one filling the gaps the other leaves behind. The resulting sound is an extended, off-balance hocket that demands the two players get together and become one.

I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to my friends who have made The Rite of Spring such a magical piece for me, and to Matilda Hofman and Left Coast Chamber Ensemble for giving me the time and space to reminisce about this music and the people who have changed my life for the better.