~It takes Two...~

Instrumentation

2 Violins
or
Violin and Viola

Performance History

• 30 March 2016, The Juilliard School, New York, New York
  Chelsea Starbuck Smith & Clare Elena Semes (violins)

Program Notes

Growing up with a two younger siblings, there were often disagreements over silly things. Eventually my mother would have to break up the fights, and when one of us would blame the other she would always say the same thing: “It’s never just one person’s fault. It takes two to tango.” I know she didn’t invent this saying, but it’s always stuck with me. It allows me to have some perspective and understanding when I'm disagreeing with someone else.

The piece is structured in five continuous sections:
Soliloquy 1 — Soliloquy 2 — Tension — Quarrel — Reconciliation

Soliloquy 1 presents the first character, who asserts their presence with a fiery and passionate solo. This is followed by Soliloquy 2, presenting a contrasting character. This character is more introverted and calm. The second solo spirals suddenly into the Tension section when both characters finally play together, and thus, come into conflict with one another. This brief section accelerates little by little and launches into the fourth section: Quarrel, where the music has an angry and violent quality. At the breaking point, the music takes an ironic turn and fulfills the title of the piece by actually morphing into a tango. After this, the second character's dreamlike lyrical theme finally asserts itself and the music moves into the final section: Reconciliation. At the very end of the piece, the two character’s timidly accept each other by playing each others musical themes, and the piece comes to a pensive, yet hopeful conclusion.

The piece was composed for, dedicated to, and played beautifully by Chelsea Starbuck Smith and Clare Elena Semes of Les Deux Violins.