Trio
for flute, violin and violoncello

The tomb of Bethphage, spoken of in the New Testament, was the place the disciples prepared Jesus for his entrance into Jerusalem, celebrated as Palm Sunday. Today the area is covered by fields with indications of inhabitance in unearthed and excavated tombs and wine presses. On the walls of one tomb there is found early Jewish-Christian graffiti, in particular two symbols in Greek, (upsilon) and (phi), directly above an ossuary. It was believed that these two symbols represented the two angels Michael and Gabriel, whose purpose was to accompany the soul into the place of repose, to protect the soul from the demons of darkness. It is this idea of angels escorting the dead, which is central to the imagery of this composition.

Formally, the piece is in three sections. The pitches E (upsilon) and F (phi) musically represent the two Greek symbols and play an important part in the Trio. The motivic and rhythmic ideas of the flute and violin, at first distinct from the piano, eventually become woven into its texture. The reverse also holds true: the piano's beginning material is found in the flute and violin at the end. The piece closes with the imagery of two angels and a soul vanishing from the confines of the tomb -- first the piano (the soul), then the flute (Michael) and finally the violin (Gabriel).

Performances