CRAIG WALSH (b.1971): Zook for Clarinet, Trumpet and Piano Trio, Lines for Piano, Neshanic Wanes for Piano Trio, Zoom for Violin and Piano, Bugaboo for Ensemble, 0 to 33 in 1098.5 for Violin, Clarinet and Piano.

Description: This is a cross-section of Walsh's varied output for acoustic chamber ensemble - he is equally at home in the electro-acoustic field, but none of these works employ electronics. However, a particular sensitivity to the nuances of timbre and the possibilities afforded by the use of unusual instrumental combinations (especially apparent in the large-ensemble Bugaboo which at one time or another seems to be trying to be a concerto for various of the participating instruments) may derive from an intimate study of the components of sound. Restless energy is typical of these pieces, often finding expression in passages of post-minimalist repetitive gesture, though these are generally short lived and more complex of texture and harmony than is usual in minimalist music. Walsh's idiom s highly chromatic, with a tendency toward a nervous pointillism, but tonality is never abandoned entirely. New York New Music Ensemble; James Baker.