program notes Shades of Grey was written for Duo Diorama, consisting of husband and wife team Winston Choi and Minghuan Xu. I began this work at a time when Winston and Minghuan were preparing for their wedding and so decided to write a piece that treated the violin and piano working together as equal partners. Relating to this combination of instruments and the idea of marriage, or any other relationship for that matter, "equal" is a relative term; an ideal that is sought by continually defining and redefining the ambiguous roles (grey areas) of each member in the relationship. This work strives to give each player undeniable roles that without which, at any given moment, the music could not exist; two entities inextricably woven as a shadow is to the object it follows, or as the varied currents under the surface of the sea that combine to create subtly changing cycles of wave patterns. Written into the work are inherent difficulties that can only be managed by a duo in the true sense of the word since the interdependence of the parts is at such a high level, one must be entirely in sync with their partner in practice and spirit. In the case of Duo Diorama, there is no question as to their synergism. This work is dedicated to them and was commissioned by the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition at Brigham Young University. |