Piano Trio No. 1 (2021)
Sheridan Seyfried (b.1984)
I Moderato
II Energico
III Lento espressivo
IV Vivace
 
Program notes from the composer
 
Each of the four movements of this trio embody different moods and characteristics, together creating an overarching emotional storyline. The opening movement begins with dark-hued intensity: yearning, or even grief. Eventually, the music quiets and an ominous mood pervades. Building gradually, the opening theme returns with great fervor in the strings; a climax is reached. The movement concludes with soft, portentous tones, its conflicts unresolved.
The second movement is punctuated three times (including at the very beginning) by whirlwind- like figures. The first melody then presents a confident but whimsical quality. This mood is quickly abandoned, however, and we find ourselves plunged into a rustic, heavy sort of dance. This music overflows with energy and spontaneity, forming the main body of the movement. The return of the first melody is disguised in a more subdued form, and the movement flickers to a close shortly afterward.
The third movement opens and closes with a simple prayer-like chorale. Its primary melody is heartfelt in character, first heard in the violin. In the middle of the movement, the cello carries a more impassioned tune, gradually leading to a peak of melancholy intensity. The consoling tones of the first melody then return in the piano, and at last this song is sung by violin and cello together.
The finale is pure joy and spirit – not without drama, but leaving the listener with little doubt of an eventual affirmative conclusion, thus making the broad arc of this four-movement piece one of darkness to light.
In composing this piece, I was inspired by the unique artistry and personalities of the members of Trio Barclay, and the friendships we enjoy together.
 
 
Piano Trio No. 2 “Orcas Island: The Rose of the San Juan Islands” (2024)
John Wineglass (b.1973)
I Sea of Islands
II Quiet Sunsets
III Doe Bay’s Cove
 
Program notes from the composer
 
Orcas Island, the largest of the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest, served as the inspiration for this work. In 2023, I had the privilege of premiering another chamber piece at the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, which later toured several cities and states. Yet it was my pilgrimage to the islands themselves—my first arrival by seaplane to Orcas – that sparked the creation of this new work. Originally conceived as a three-movement piano trio, it was later adapted into a single-movement work for solo cello as well.
The opening movement, Sea of Islands, begins with a brooding 7/4 pattern that recurs throughout in varied harmonic and rhythmic guises. This restless motif reflects my first aerial view of the countless inhabited and uninhabited islands stretching toward neighboring British Columbia. Even before setting foot on the ground, the stunning landscape and its ancient history spoke powerfully to me.
The second movement, Quiet Sunsets (and Sunrises), captures the luminous calm of Orcas Island’s skies. From the shimmering glow of dawn to the sacred stillness of evening, the music seeks to mirror both the serenity and reverence of these moments. A lively section recalls a hike up Mt. Constitution in Moran State Park – the highest point in the San Juan Islands – where sweeping vistas revealed the islands in all their grandeur.
The final movement, Doe Bay’s Cove, is inspired by the atmospheric shoreline community on the island’s southeastern edge. Its mysterious opening recalls the brooding rhythm of the first movement but soon shifts through changing meters and tonal centers. A brief homage to an earlier piano quintet marks my musical return to this region, before a wave-like conclusion evokes the endless tides that surround and shape these remarkable islands.
 
 
Piano Trio No. 2 “California” (2024)
Michael Fine (b.1950)
I Allegro ritmico
II Adagio
III Adagio sostenuto
IV Allegretto
 
Program notes from the composer
 
My second Piano Trio – California – was composed in late 2024 for the Trio Barclay, at the kind suggestion of cellist Jonah Kim, whom I knew from Festival Mosaic where we both played in the orchestra. That, plus my partner and the dedicatee of the Trio, Dr Marge Chandler’s strong California roots, provided the impetus for a piece that was both a reminiscence of my many trips to California, albeit with a New Yorker’s biases, and a fantasy of the fascinating multi-cultural world of the Golden State.
The first movement opens with a festive quick passage replete with Hispanic overtones that become more obvious as the movement continues. The two middle slow movements were inspired by the long mountain vistas and slow roll of the sea, meditations on natural beauty and our place in the natural world. The final movement, opening with pizzicati, brings back some of the flair, joy and energy of the first movement. Producing recordings of my own music is the most difficult work I do in the studio. The producer and composer in me come from different parts of my brain and can, occasionally be in conflict. The connection in this case was made by the superb playing of the Trio Barclay – virtuosity combined with poetry – which made me enjoy my own music. The Trio found the heart of the music in ways even its composer couldn’t imagine, giving my modest composition the best way for listeners to experience what I composed. I’m particularly honored that it will share space on an album with the fantastic Trios of Sheridan Seyfried and John Christopher Wineglass.