- Verdehr Trio
The Verdehr Trio is an
clarinet-violin-piano trio , achamber ensemble which they have done much to promote through international commissions,recording s, andperformance s. The trio featuresWalter Verdehr on violin,Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr on clarinet, andSilvia Roederer on piano. The Ludewig-Verdehr's where married in 1971 and founded the trio in 1972 atMichigan State University where it has remainedin residence . Former pianists includeGary Kirkpatrick .Inspired by existing pieces for
violin -clarinet -piano trio by 20th century composers Bartók ("Contrasts (Bartók) "), Stravinsky, Milhaud, Khachaturian, Berg, Krenek, Poulenc and Ives, the trio commissioned over 200 new works. To round out their repertoire they discovered or transcribed 18th and 19th century pieces for violin-clarinet-piano. The trio has also commissioned trio concertos from composers including Buhr, David, Ott, Skrowaczewski, and Wallace. They have commissioned violin-clarinet double concertos fromJames Niblock , William Wallace,Dinos Constantinides ,Paul Chihara ,Ian Krouse andRichard Mills . [http://www.verdehr.com/ The Verdehr Trio ] ]To make this music available the trio released "The Making of a Medium CD Series" on
Crystal Records and a parallel "Video Series" including performances, interviews and discussions by the composers as well as a complete performance of the work. Series I includes composersLeslie Bassett ,Alan Hovhaness ,Karel Husa ,Thea Musgrave ("Pierrot "),Ned Rorem , andGunther Schuller . Series II, hosted byPeter Schickele , includes trios byAlexander Arutiunian , David Diamond,William Bolcom ,Betsy Jolas ,Libby Larsen ,Philippe Manoury ,Gian Carlo Menotti ,Peter Sculthorpe , Peter Schickele andJoan Tower . A publishing project has also been launched.Accomplishments
The trio received a Creative Programming Award from
Chamber Music America and an Adventuresome Programming Award fromASCAP and Chamber Music America. An article about the Trio appears in thenew Groves Dictionary of Music .Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr is praised for her range of timbre and pitch, especially the clarinet's "chalumeau" or lowest register [Porter (2008).] .
Other composers commissioned
*
Nathan Currier Other composers premiered
*
William Averitt - "Tripartita" (1988) [http://msupress.msu.edu/bookTemplate.php?bookID=529] [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEFDA153CF937A25752C1A966958260]Notes
External links
*http://www.verdehr.com/
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/21/AR2008022102706.html WashingtonPost.com: Verdehr Trio's Pioneering Path] by Cecelia Porter, Friday, February 22, 2008; Page C04
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE1D71631F93BA25751C0A96E948260 NYTimes.com: Verdehr Trio Contrast Review] By John Rockwell, Published: February 18, 1988Viewing
*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSNyAyLI-h0
*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtTtVjuTr88
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