Jeremy Dale Roberts-Tristia

1.Appasionata-with elan/2.Semplice;feroce/3.Frozen/4.Presto;still/5.Acuto/Andante lugubre-barcarolla

Peter Sheppard Skaerved-Violin/Aaron Shorr-Piano (recorded 2009)

Jeremy Dale Roberts notes that this passionate cycle of pieces, which we premiered at Wiltons Music Hall in 2008, takes as its starting point two fragments from the Tristia  (1917-20) of Osip Mandelstam@

‘We shall die in transparent Petropolis,

Were Prosperina rules over us…’

‘And on my lips the black ice burns

The recollection of Stygian bells’

In conversation with Jeremy Dale Roberts. June 2014

Aaron Shorr and a premiered this work at Wiltons Music Hall, and this recording was made shortly afterwards. During the sessions, the drama and danger implicit in the music spilled over. I recorded the piece on the 1699 ‘Crespi’ Stradivari, and halfway into the session, the bridge of the violin snapped dramatically. This is a terrifying thing to happen to a player, especially when you are performing, as the whole apparatus, strings, tailpiece et call, slaps down onto the table of the instrument with a horrific bang. However, I got it together and succeeded in gluing the fragments of the bridge back together (it would be thrown away the following morning!). The jerry-rigged bridge worked well-and here’s the result. It didn’t look pretty, but sounded great!

Violin by Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1699, ‘Crespi’.