This Second Piano Trio (for violin, cello & piano) is the fourth in a series of extended, multi-movement chamber works composed in 2023 and 2024. The piece is three movements and is subtitled ‘Arcs’. This concept is explored on a wide variety of levels throughout: the arc shape of many melodic phrases; the long-term build and subsiding of dynamics; the increase and decrease of textural density; the arc of harmonic development and resolution; the arch-form structure of each movement; and the sense of overall arc to the whole, 25 minute piece.

Harmonically, the work is concerned with exploring a range of extended chords (7ths, 9ths, 11ths, & 13ths), usually based on the common triad. Texturally, the piece gives the three instruments a wide variety of roles, exchanging turns to deliver melodies, and particularly features themes in canon. There is much use of percussive pizzicato doubling by the strings of accompanimental piano material.

The first movement is in a loose symmetrical sonata form, whose first subject group features a bell-like accompaniment, followed by a sentimental song-like second theme. The development uses the work’s introductory material, which surrounds an unsettled, modulatory third theme, before a varied and reversed recapitulation. The second movement is a long ternary form arch. The first section features a nostalgic line of appoggiaturas which gradually morphs into a more scherzo-like middle section, via a chain of changes in time signature, before a reversed return of the opening. The finale, in the home tonal centre of F, simply alternates two main ideas. The first is a memorable 10-bar rondo-like theme, returning in textural variation (and later in canon), based on harmonies with an added 4th (or 11th). The second idea is a 16-bar section that uses the main theme in rhythmic augmentation, as well as with rhythmic phasing. To conclude, the first theme asserts its dominance by repetition, in a final crescendo and flourish.

The work is dedicated to Stephen Birch in Advent 2024, with admiration, in anticipation of his 60th birthday in February 2025.

As with all of Rob’s pieces, the Piano Trio No. 2 (‘Arcs’) is published via Sheet Music Plus. 

Other recent updates:

Rob led the organisation of the 2024 Prescot Parish Musicians’ Concert, raising over £500 for Prescot Parish Church, on Friday 20 September 2024. The event featured a myriad of varied musical performances, including Rob playing bassoon, violin, and piano, as well as five of Rob’s compositions. Here, Rebecca Peers performs the solo voice versions of Rob’s anthems Glory, Love, and Praise, and Honour (2019), and the Ave Verum Corpus (2016), with the composer at the piano:

As Assistant Head of Music Faculty at St. Edward’s College, Liverpool (Choir School to Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral), Rob has conducted highly successful orchestral performances at the Cathedral’s Founders’ Evening (and a massed choral performance of his 2016 anthem ‘Jubilate Deo’; also performed by the choir of All Hallows’, Allerton, in their church), and at the College’s December Christmas Concert, as well as compèring the College’s November St. Cecilia’s Concert Choral Extravaganza.

A particular highlight of the autumn term came in November 2024, when the world-famous film and TV music composer Danny Elfman visited St. Edward’s College from the USA, and gave a fascinating extended talk to KS3, GCSE, and A Level Music students on his most famous film scores, his compositional techniques, and his musical influences, followed by an intriguing question and answer session.’

Rob gave two very successful, sell-out performances as Conductor of both the Phoenix Concert Orchestra (in November 2024 at St. Anne’s Church, Aigburth, Liverpool) and as Conductor of South Liverpool Orchestra (in December in their Christmas Concert at All Hallows’ Church, Allerton, Liverpool).

The latter included Rob in repeat performances of his piano miniatures ‘Sketch I, Fragment III, & Sonnet I’, as previously given in the September Parish Musicians’ Concert at Prescot.

Rob has continued to perform in a wide variety of successful performances as Principal Bassoonist of Liverpool Mozart Orchestra, Liverpool Bach Collective, and as bass singer and Associate Director of Prescot Parish Church Choir. The latter have continued to regularly perform Rob’s compositions in this period, including ‘For Mary, Mother of our Lord’ (2018) at the September Patronal Festival, ‘God So Loved the World’ (2019) at the November All Souls’ Service, and ‘A Babe is Born’ (2016) at the December Mayor of Prescot’s Charity Christmas Concert (organised by the Prescot Festival), raising over £300, and with nearly 400 in attendance. The Festival also helped to organise a new initiative, a highly successful Candlelit Christmas Concert fundraiser at Prescot Parish Church, featuring Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols performed by the Girl Choristers of Liverpool Cathedral and RLPO harpist Elizabeth McNulty, and Schubert’s song cycle Die Winterreise, performed by Baritone Damian O’Keeffe and accompanist Stephen Mannings.