Paul Schoenfeld: "Eretz Hefetz", Trio for Two Clarinets and Piano

Stas Chernyshev and Ann Hung | clarinets
Cecilia Lo-Chien Kao | piano

00:00 Overture
05:01 Intermezzo
09:45 Two Fugues
13:58 Passacaglia
20:32 Freilach

Audio: Ra Byn Taylor and Paul Zaborac
Mixing and Mastering: Giovanni Lando
Video: Paul Zaborac and Stas Chernyshev

Score: https://ummpstore.com/products/schoen...

About:
Two years ago, I joined a consortium of clarinetists to commission the renowned composer Paul Schoenfeld to write a trio for two clarinets and piano. This commission led to the Jewish-inspired "Eretz Hefetz," a monumental five-movement work that he completed in the spring of 2023.

Paul Schoenfeld’s music combines folk elements from various traditions from the modern classical genre, from “Café Music” to “Klezmer Rondos.” This trio is no exception; it truly has it all—from the soulfulness and freedom of folk music, with flourishes and syncopated dance elements, to explicit influences from the Baroque era in "Two Fugues” and “Passacaglia."

Paul Schoenfeld passed away just a few months ago, making "Eretz Hefetz" his last work. I’m grateful to have had the chance to share with him our live recording of the trio, to which he replied: "Such wonderful playing, as a composer I'm honored to have such performers playing my music."

It’s been quite a journey, and I want to say a huge thank you to Ann Hung and Cecilia Kao for spending countless hours on this piece together—from learning the notes and coming up with our own interpretation to performing and making the video—it was quite a trip. Thank you to our lead commissioners Corey Mackey and Jeremy Reynolds for starting the consortium and reaching out to Paul Schoenfeld with this wonderful idea. Thank you to Ra Byn Taylor and Paul Zaborac for helping us with this recording and making us sound and look good.

The score became available for sale earlier this month, and I can’t wait to see many performances and recordings of this wonderful work in the upcoming year. It’s been an honor to spend a year with this score and to be one of the first musicians to perform it.

Stas Chernyshev