Three Duos for Violin and Viola was composed for the Scotia Festival of Music’s Chamber Players Series at the Music Room in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Written for violist Carolyn Farnand and myself on violin, these pieces were premiered on our concert “3 Bean Salad” on December 4th, 2024, which also featured cellist India Gailey.
The performance video below was recorded live on Wednesday, January 28th, 2026 in the Joseph Strug Concert Hall at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This performance was part of a “portrait concert” of my recent works co-presented by Scotia Festival and Dalhousie; featuring violinist Charna Matsushige and myself on viola.
Three Duos for violin and viola (2024) - 4 minutes
Program Note
Three Duos for violin and viola are a set of miniatures inspired by Béla Bartók’s 44 Duos for Two Violins; a few of which Carolyn Farnand and I performed on the . concert where this piece was premiered. My Three Duos are written in response to Bartók’s compact miniatures, and explore character, contrast, and dialogue between the instruments. Like Bartók, I draw on the spirit of songs, dances, and games, and even take inspiration from his titles.
i. Rocking Song
A gentle melody in 5/8 time rocks back and forth. The violin and viola play a game of cat and mouse, canon-like, as they take turns leading and following.
ii. Rhythm Game
This piece explores a process of gradual acceleration through increasing rhythmic values and metric modulation. Beginning with a slow, steady pulse, the music builds toward a point of total energetic entropy before briefly returning to the original pulse at the close.
iii. Hushed Song and Swirling Dance
This piece moves through two contrasting moods. It begins with soft, guitar-like pizzicato arpeggios, creating a hushed and intimate atmosphere. This gives way to a swirling dance, based on the strummed rhythm of the opening, but transformed; a burst of energy that ends abruptly.
I hope to eventually write many more of these duos... perhaps even 44 of them!