Chase

Instrumentation: 2 Pianos

Duration: 4:30min

Description:

Chase is a dramatic fast paced work with many twists and turns. It can be thought of as one piano in pursuit of the other, especially in cadenza-like passages and its prominent galloping rhythmic feel. Chase is a highly motivicaly strung work with only a few ideas which are juxtaposed in many ways, all musical ideas heard in this piece reappear elsewhere.

Chase won first place at the LCMS young composers competition July 2013.

The piece starts off in the heat of pursuit; rhythmic galloping motives move frantically under a towering melody soon moves into tension building chromaticism. A slow section soon follows as if one found a place to hide. The galloping motive is now slowed down and elongated. Rich harmonies soon emerge as if to tell a story of how the chase began. Suddenly the pursuit sparks once again beginning with a running cadenza from one piano to the other and moving back into the fast paced galloping section with more rhythmic intensity and sudden key changes. The piece ends violently with a bumpy finish…someone has been caught!

Listen:

Performers: Bergmann Duo