Dances and laments for violin & cello duo

Dances & Laments consists of five contrasting movements, of which 1-2 and 3-5 are linked. A simple and lonely cello melody begins, interjected with comments from the violin, until the music erupts into a wild dance in 12/8 time. The ‘Elegy’ third movement now gives the violin the melodic lead, and grows into a warmer aria (‘Air’) marked ‘teneramente’, which is based on the Elegy’s melody. The final dance draws upon the haunting melody of the opening, which is reprised in its original form before the dance inevitably overwhelms to finish the piece. The work is dedicated to Philippe Graffin.

Premiere performance: Consonances Festival, St Nazaire, France.