"Chase" (2015) for violin and piano

Time to give you a listen to some of the music we recorded in Toronto this month. The shorter piece, one I wrote in 2015, is rather like an encore.

Some background: I wrote this piece over three years ago for a couple of friends who were about to appear in a concert a few days later. Without much thought at all, I sat down and wrote the piece in a couple of hours. There are some typically Latin American syncopated rhythms and a lyrical middle section. The piece was rather a hit at the concert as lots of people came up to me afterwards with compliments (which rather surprised me). Afterwards, looking at the piece, I decided it was a bit too short and rewrote it, extending the middle section in particular.

Several months ago I organized a recording session in Toronto for my new piece for violin and guitar, "Dark Dream" so it seemed a good time to do a recording of "Chase." The violinist is Valerie Li, first violin with the Afiara Quartet and one of the finest chamber musicians in Canada and she is accompanied by the very excellent pianist Todd Yaniw.

The video clip is mostly of the performers and the studio, but it begins with a photo of the exterior of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto where we rehearsed the piece before going into the studio. The recording took place on the 9th of December in the Glenn Gould Studio at the CBC Broadcast Centre. This is one of the finest recording venues for classical music in Canada.

Chase (2015) by Bryan Townsend

UPDATE: Sorry for the "unavailable" link. I think I have it fixed now, so let me know if the link is working.