Frank Corcoran composes ‘Quasi Una Perla’ for Basso Moderno Duo

Irish composer Frank Corcoran has just completed a short duet for bass and piano. The new work ‘Quasi Una Perla’ is the second work he has written for Allan Von Schenkel and Kristen Williams, with the first being a two movement piece for unaccompanied bass entitled ‘Quasi Un Basso’. ‘Quasi Una Perla’ gives the duo the opportunity to share Corcoran’s music with a wider audience and to bring attention to this talented composer.

Of the new work Corcoran says “Since my cycle of ‘Mad Sweeney’ - inspired works of the nineties, (beginning with ‘Suibhne Gealt / Mad Sweeney’ for Speaker and Chamber Orchestra, text from the Old Irish by Séamus Heaney) I have composed a whole series of " Quasi" works. I as a composer at this place in time I am no longer musically innocent - I know too much world-music and composed music of the past; so I´ve written ‘Quasi Un Concerto’, ‘Quasi Una Missa’ or ‘Quasi Un Preludio’ and so on - I am filtering musical forms of the past and of my past. This miniature piece for the higher tuned bass and piano of Basso Moderno is a mini-novel, a mini short-story for the new colouristic and expressive possibilities of this unique instrumental combination. Everything flows, however, - as in so many composing masters of the past- from the opening little idea, a simple re-iterated open fifth for the piano and its loud bisection by the bass. In the space of less than three minutes my piece opens up a kaleidoscope of tonal thought and play with this idea. The miniature becomes a pearl of great price - Quasi Una Perla".

The Basso Moderno Duo plan to premiere ‘Quasi Una Perla’ at the Meridian Festival in Bucharest, Romania in December 2008.