Self-Portrait #43
Instrumentation: two violas and piano
Commissioner: Left Coast Chamber Ensemble
“rhapsodic lyricism that was genuinely moving”
“Erickson has been successful in writing choral music (church music in particular), and Self Portrait #43, with its combination of novelty and accessibility, gives some idea why. The sense of melody is basically tonal, but the music is certainly modern in its colorations. There was also a touch of folk color, usually set forth in minimalist terms.
Besides these qualities, his control of form was strong and original. Portrait opens with a sizable passage for the unaccompanied violas (Kurt Rohde and Phyllis Kamrin), mostly in toccata fashion, before the pianist (Karen Rosenak) tears into a solo that most resembles a small cadenza. Once all the protagonists have been put forward, the main body of the music then continues with the full trio, modern in its voice without ever going overboard with dissonances of harmony or rhythm. (Also, the composer’s program notes informed us that his title is a pure abstraction, neither a self portrait nor anything from a numbered chain of pieces. There are no numbers 42, 41, 40, . . .)
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