Ayre of Grievances (vln, vla, fl)

Presenting an exciting 5-minute work for flute, violin, and viola (2020)!

Composed during the worldwide Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020, this fierce work for violin, viola, and flute illustrates the need during such times to unleash pent-up frustrations, fear, sorrow, and anger. The incessant, rapid rhythms and violent articulations don’t seem to find relief until a point in the middle of the work, when the realization hits that there is nothing to be done except to collapse on our living room couches, to “shelter in place”, and wait for the return to “normal” that never seems to come. Thus, locked in a state of restlessness, this musical work builds again to the frenzied madness of the beginning only to end with a rush of “hands thrown into the air”.

Her music positively buzzes with energy. Take Ayre of Grievances, for viola, violin, and flute (a lockdown piece from 2020). The close recording here emphasizes the power: It almost feels as if more than three are playing, while the wide stereo perspective adds to the sense of the music enveloping the listener. There is a real intensity to this performance, with the performers sustaining long lyrical lines in thin textures that contrast with the busy-ness of the opening and its returns. The piece reflects emotions felt during that period: “frustrations, fear, sorrow, and anger” according to the composer; the middle section is when there is nothing to be done except to “collapse on our living room couches.” (Colin Clarke, Fanfare Magazine)