Piano Trio - 'Trilogy of Eternal Gifts'

Written in 2010, this Piano Trio is in three movements which focus in turn on three Universal Gifts to mankind, namely Gift of Life, Gift of Light and Gift of Love.

The first movement expresses life from physical birth to physical death. The sections at the start and end of this movement treat birth and death as fundamentally the same, for the composer considers death to be merely a re-birth into a new existence. In between is a contrasting energetic section, describing the challenges of life itself, both good and bad. Our emotional and intellectual qualities are also expressed in this section.

The second movement represents a mosaic of different colours of light. Although it could represent physical light, it should also remind us of Divine Light; the Light that guides us through our life; the Light we should attract when we pray and meditate.

The third movement is a slow expression of the beautiful Gift of Love, described by means of long flowing melodies on the two string instruments and drawn out chords in the piano. A short central section presents a flowing ostinato against phrases derived from the opening section. Indeed, thematic material from all three movements can be traced to the opening theme of the first movement, showing a sense of unity between these three gifts.