The Year Without a Summer
for piano trio
(2009)
duration: 15’
GRT • 148
score available soon
from
Australian Music
Centre
program note
I: 1815
– And then the Sky
was filled with Ash
II: 1816 – The Year
Without a Summer
The eruption in 1815 of Mt. Tambora on the
Indonesian island of Sumbawa was over four times as big as
the eruption of Krakatoa later that century but perhaps not
as well known. The ash and dust thrown up into the earth’s
upper atmosphere further resulted in ‘the year without a
summer’ in 1816. This was by all accounts a devastating
ecological event that caused unseasonal cold temperatures
and widespread famine.
The first
movement of this trio is short and fast. It imagines a dark
cloud of dust approaching from the distance, not knowing
where it came from. Did it seem a premonition? How long did
they think it would last? The longer second movement shifts
forward to 1816 and contemplates the upheaval of people’s
lives – of having their world turned upside down in one way
or another and having to regroup and adjust to new
circumstances.
reviews
“The Year Without a
Summer, a new
commission from Australian Stuart Greenbaum based on an
1816 volcanic eruption and its effects, promised a contrast
to the preceding works. The fast, spidery figures of the
opening aside, the work wears Greenbaum’s pop influences on
its sleeve and is marked by an economy of material. There
are some decidedly beautiful moments, none more so than the
solo that opens the contemplative second movement, ably
handled in this performance by cellist Ashley
Brown.”
Samuel Holloway, The Lumiere Reader (NZ), April 2010
“The trio had worked with
Stuart Greenbaum in the formative stages of the second
commissioned work, the very topical The Year Without a Summer
which depicts a volcanic
eruption and the ominous approach of the ash cloud, then
its catastrophic aftermath. The work was full of energy and
emotion, haunting lyricism and dramatic effects, executed
with a passion and skill that left the audience amazed and
applauding enthusiastically.”
Anne Bovett, Taranaki Daily News (NZ), April 2010
“The second piece,
The Year without a
Summer, by Stuart
Greenbaum attempted a portrayal of the huge volcanic
eruption in 1815 of Mount Tambora in Indonesia which dimmed
the skies in the following year around the world. Though it
sounded often like the work of a gifted improviser, its
meditative character suggested some musical inspiration.
Without attempting to relate its phases to the event and
its effects, the music was better constructed, stood on its
own feet without the need of its narrative, and revealed a
composer of considerable sophistication.”
Lindis Taylor, Middle C Classical Music Reviews (NZ), April
2010
“For me, the most challenging
piece on the programme was Australian Stuart
Greenbaum's The
Year Without A Summer. Its theme was so topical - the eruption
in 1815 of Mt Tambora in Indonesia, more than four times as
big as the eruption of Krakatoa in the same century. The
resulting ash cloud was so suffocating there was no summer
the following year.
The first movement rose to a huge
crescendo - full of ominous descending scale passages,
pedalled vibrations from the piano, and devastating
agitation. One could imagine the terrifying approach of the
ash cloud. Then came a dramatic moment of crushing silence,
with an unreal resonating rumble from within the piano,
Watkins scraping her fingernails along the piano strings.
The second movement was introduced by the cello. A response
of desolation and hopeless reflection on the powers of
planet Earth. The piece ended with an eerie stillness and a
stunning unresolved chord.
Congratulations, New Zealand Trio. A meaningful combination
of contemporary and traditional chamber music.”
Margot Hannigan, The Nelson Mail (NZ), April 2010