Simon Holt

Piano Trio - Los Ojos

Score and parts for Simon Holt's Piano Trio: Los Ojos, for Piano Violin and Cello. Piano Trio: Los Ojos was first performed on 25th November 2013 in the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall at the Royal College of Music, London, by Johannes Marmén (Violin), Zoé Saubat (Cello), and Gwenaelle Rouger (Piano). I finished writing Piano trio: Los Ojos in early May 2007. It is approximately 13 minutes long and has a three-movement structure of essentially two slow movements separated by a central fast section. The final slow movement is a variation of the opening movement, ending with a 'toy' - defined by ThomasMace (a contemporary of William Lawes) in his 1676 book, Musicke's Monument, as 'a light-Squibbish Thing, only fit for Fantastical, and Easie-Light-Headed People; and are of any sort of Time'. The Machado poem behind the piece, Los Ojos (the eyes), is about a widower who has locked himself away, but after a year begins to wonder about the colour of his beloved's eyes. He is horrified that he can't remember. One spring day, he leaves the house and just happens to glimpse a flash of eyes through a window and instantly recalls the colour; '(i'Como esos!'; 'Like those!'. The three movements have the titles: 1] su memoria y el espejo 'his memory and the mirror'; 2] Como eran? 'How were they?'; and 3] (i'Como esos! 'Like those!'. - Simon Holt