# Trio for Clarinet, Cello & Piano



## pkoi

My late spring/ early summer-project was to compose a small trio for my friends ensemble. After rehearsing the piece in July, they recorded it today, and I am very happy with the result!

My intention was to write an energetic and funny single movement work, which would be built upon the use of the simple motive heard in opening gesture of the clarinet. Formally, the work is loosely based on the sonata form.

Enjoy!


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https://soundcloud.com/pekka-koivisto%2Ftrio-for-clarinet-cello-piano


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## joen_cph

I liked it. A fine recording too. Thank you.


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## pkoi

Thanks joen_cph!

I will make a video containing the audio and the score on the weekend, and post it here, in case someone's interested in listening the work like that.


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## Phil loves classical

Like the free-spiritedness (light-heartedness?) and horizontal harmony. Maybe just my preference, there were a few stacked chords that sounded more constricted like around 1:56 and 2:04 (before the big loud one). I think if you moved a note a half step, the colour could be more livened. I think it has to do with the harmonization with the melody before the chord.


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## pkoi

Thanks Phil! The conscrictness (if I understand the term correctly) is definitely partly due to the harmonization, but it is also a matter of using high register. In that part, before the concluding chord I wanted to create an effect of an ascending line using high register in the piano. This part is repeated many times in the work later.


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## pkoi

Here's a video, where you can see the score of the work.


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## Richannes Wrahms

Right on point!


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## pkoi

Thanks Richannes Wrahms! Great username btw


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## Larkenfield

.................


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## Larkenfield

I would think that any trio would be delighted to play this. It has such immediate appeal. So, bravo! My only minor complaint is not about the music but about the performance: I felt that the piano was hogging too much of the limelight rather than playing a more supportive, less extrovert role to the others when called for, so the clarinet and cello can shine and there’s more equality among the parts. I felt that sometimes they were being overpowered. Still, a fine performance overall with a wonderful trio that I greatly enjoyed. This is the kind of contemporary music I like and I wish there was more of it.


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## Phil loves classical

pkoi said:


> Thanks Phil! The conscrictness (if I understand the term correctly) is definitely partly due to the harmonization, but it is also a matter of using high register. In that part, before the concluding chord I wanted to create an effect of an ascending line using high register in the piano. This part is repeated many times in the work later.


Hey pkoi, I played around with bar 42, and found that constriction I felt was due to the sustain pedal in the proximity (combined with change in direction) of the top note of left hand chord. The G# in 2nd beat to G natural in 3rd beat made it sound constricted (or clash) to me with the pedal. I lifted the pedal and the G natural came out more clear. As a further experiment I tried a different note on 3rd beat more separated from the G#, continuing in the same upward direction, and it didn't sound constricted or clash with beat 2 (not saying it should be changed to B instead of G). In bar 44 I also felt that constriction, so I suspect it's the sustain pedal through all those chord changes. I've seen pro pianists like Alfred Brendel quickly lift and push the pedal through some faster passages, so I believe it can be done (I think even I can do it). Here is a video, with it slowed down. But the blurring effect is more pronounced at higher speeds (less decay) and closer proximity of notes.


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## pkoi

Interesting Phil! You are of course right that by breaking the pedal point, the clarity of the sound is improved, and it is something I could consider to change for the next performance, so thanks for spotting that out! Writing good pedal-lines is always hard, as I am not a very competent pianist myself. On the other hand, I personally don't consider this to be a big problem of that particular part.


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## pkoi

Larkenfield said:


> I would think that any trio would be delighted to play this. It has such immediate appeal. So, bravo! My only minor complaint is not about the music but about the performance: I felt that the piano was hogging too much of the limelight rather than playing a more supportive, less extrovert role to the others when called for, so the clarinet and cello can shine. I felt that sometimes they were being overpowered. Still, a fine performance overall on a wonderful trio that I enjoyed very much. This is the kind of contemporary music that I like.


Thanks Larkenfield! I personally like the performance, especially taken into consideration the limited time they had to rehearse this (three 3h sessions). The dominance of the piano might be also due to my mixing skills, and the equipment I recorded it with. The piano had two big condencer microphones (one next to the keyboard and one on the other end of the piano), while the other instruments had only one small valve condensers microphones each, which gives the clarinet and cello a clear but not very full sound.


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## ollv

Maybe this is better I listened of your especially first movement. It was a funny) music. Emough Expressive.
But also I would like to hear more percussive piano. Just some improvise maner. But I repeat as for me it is better of your (and may be I listened here last time))


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## pkoi

ollv said:


> Maybe this is better I listened of your especially first movement. It was a funny) music. Emough Expressive.
> But also I would like to hear more percussive piano. Just some improvise maner. But I repeat as for me it is better of your (and may be I listened here last time))


Thanks ollv! It has only one movement, so you didn't miss out anything 

As for more percussive piano sounds, I'll add them if I see that fitting the music, it's just in this work I wanted funny and light textures, and I did not see those kind of textures fitting for this music.


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## ollv

> It has only one movement, so you didn't miss out anything


I mean first fragment. 


> As for more percussive piano sounds, I'll add them if I see that fitting the music, it's just in this work I wanted funny and light textures, and I did not see those kind of textures fitting for this music.


 Yes obviously it is up to you ))


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