Programme Note
Premiere:
16 November 2006
Jaime Laredo, violin
Sharon Robinson, cello
Pacific Symphony
Carl St. Clair, conductor
Santa Ana, CA
Composer's note:
I know of nothing more tragic or heartbreaking than the death of a child. The inspiration for A Child’s Reliquary (Piano Trio) came from the untimely and tragic death of Cole Carson St. Clair, the 18-month-old son of Carl and Susan St. Clair. The work was intended as a kind of kindertotenlieder without words – and everything in the piece, including references to the Brahms Cradle Song – relates to its initial inspiration. Work on A Child’s Reliquary began on August 19, 1999, and was completed on September 17th of the same year. The work was written expressly for Jamie Laredo, Sharon Robinson and Joseph Kalichstein and is dedicated to the memory of Cole Carson St. Clair.
--Richard Danielpour