Program Note: Rhapsody was composed in the summer and fall of 2014 for the violin duo Les Deux, which features Chelsea Starbuck Smith and Clare Elena Semes. In both its title and content, Rhapsody is deeply inspired by the provocative and virtuosic violin works of Paganini as well as Ravel, particularly Tzigane. These works achieve great communicative power, not simply through the energetic violin acrobatics on display, but through musical content that is as deeply felt as it is entertaining to listen to and watch. Rhapsody attempts to achieve the same.

Commisioned By: Les Deux Violins

Premiere: 2015 TBA