Trio I (1971)

Composer note
Trio I (1971) is the earliest chamber work in my catalogue. I worked on it for the first three years of my ten years of study with Boulanger (1969-1979), and, for me, it represents an important coming-of-age in my musical development. The trio is in three movements (slow, fast, slow), each in a traditional ternary form (variations, sonata-allegro and rondo). The pitch material is drawn from two three-note chords (E-flat, B, D and G, B-flat, F-sharp), which are combined forcefully at the dramatic climax, at the end of the second movement. Echoes of the chord continue in repeated pianissimo arpeggiations throughout the final adagio to create a tranquil quality of suspended time. The work was awarded the 1971 Prix de Composition Prince Pierre de Monaco, which I received that summer from Prince Rainier and Princess Grace at the Palais Princier. In 1972, members of the Quintette Pro Arte gave the European premiere at the Salle Garnier in Monte Carlo.

— Robert X. Rodríguez